Tallahassee, Florida – April 17, 2025
Something very scary happened at Florida State University (FSU). A student brought a gun to the school and started shooting. This student was the deputy sheriff’s son. He killed two people and injured six more. Teachers and students began to hide and run. Many students are still scared and traumatised due to this event.
Who was the shooter?
The person who was behind all this was a 20-year-old student. His name was Phoenix Ikner. What makes this case more noticeable is that he was a deputy sheriff’s son and his father was a police officer. The shooting happened on April 17, 2025, near the Student Union building during the day when many students were around.
Phoenix had two guns with him. First, he used a shotgun, but it stopped working after some time. Then he used a handgun. Surprisingly, this gun belonged to his mother when she was a police officer. He shot two people, and six were hurt. He started the shooting near the Student Union around noon, when many people were walking around. The people he shot were not students at the school. Two of them died, and six got hurt. One person is still in the hospital in serious condition.
Panic Situation on the Campus
When the gunshots started, people got really scared. They ran to hide in classrooms. Some students locked themselves in a bathroom or closet. One student said, “I heard so many shots. I just ran.”
A group of students hid in the basement under the Student Union. They pushed chairs and trash cans against the doors to secure it. One of the students had also been at the Parkland school shooting a few years back. He said, “He could not believe he is going through this again.
Police arrived on time, and they asked Phoenix to stop, but he didn’t respond, so they caught him and took him to the hospital. He was a little hurt, but nothing was serious. Police found three guns in total. One was on Phoenix, one was in the building, and one was in his car.
Reason for the Attack
Right now no one knows the reason behind this move of the deputy sheriff’s son. He had never done anything like this before. He was an active participant at the sheriff’s office. He had even worked with police during his younger age. The police and FBI are working together to learn more about the FSU shooting incident. They were looking at suspect phones, social media and his messages.
Deputy Sheriff’s son social media profile linked to Ikner began circulating online. Screenshots of posts on X are showing that he has been attending anti-Trump protests near the FSU campus. After the FSU shooting, the school had been closed for a week, which means no classes, no sports and no events.
Public Reactions
The FSU shooting made people all over the world sad and concerned. Many leaders spoke about the incident. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis said he was praying for the victims. President Donald Trump said that “guns don’t shoot people. People do.”
Some people agree with that. But some think that the country needs better gun laws. It should not be so easy for anyone to access guns. Some believe that police families should be more careful with guns at their home and should look after their children.
Meanwhile the Florida State University community had a gathering to pray for the people who have died during this incident. Students gathered at a memorial; they laid down flowers and lit candles to pray for the victim.
This day will never be forgotten at FSU. Students, teachers, and families are feeling pain, fear, and sadness. But many are coming together to support each other. They want to make schools safer so this never happens again.
