An impromptu memorial of flowers and other items is laid near the center of the Florida State campus on April 17, 2025. |
Published on May 13, 2025 at 10:13 am
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A man accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding six others during a shooting last month at Florida State University was discharged from a Tallahassee hospital on Monday and charged with murder, authorities said.
Phoenix Ikner, 20, was booked into the Leon County Detention Facility on two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. He was then transferred to a jail in neighboring Wakulla County, which is standard procedure when an inmate is related to a Leon County deputy.
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Ikner, identified as the stepson of a sheriff’s deputy, arrived on campus April 17 and stayed near a parking garage before he walked in and out of buildings and green spaces while firing a handgun just before lunchtime, police said.
In roughly four minutes, officers confronted Ikner, a political science student at Florida State, and shot and wounded him, Tallahassee police said.
Police believe Ikner used a former service weapon that belongs to his stepmother, an 18-year veteran of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, officials said. In recent years, she has worked as a middle school resource officer and was the department’s employee of the month a year ago in March. After the shooting she requested and was granted personal leave and also reassigned from her post at the school.
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Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting.
Online jail and court records Monday didn’t list an attorney for Ikner. Multiple attempts to reach his family after the shooting went unanswered.
