Noman Sabit: A gunman opened fire on the main campus of Florida State University on Thursday, leaving two people dead and putting six people in the hospital. Gunfire rang out near the campus’s student union at around 11:50 a.m., according to the Tallahassee Police Department (TPD). The FSU Alert system alerted staff and students on campus were told to shelter in place.
Videos were quickly circulating on social media showing students evacuating campus, and law enforcement helping the injured and assisting in the evacuation process.
The TPD held a news conference at 4:30 p.m., identifying the gunman as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner. Police said Ikner was apprehended by law enforcement and is believed to be a student at the university.
In the news conference, authorities said they responded immediately to the scene, engaging and neutralizing the Ikner, who was then taken to a local hospital.
In total, police said there were eight victims. Six people were taken to the hospital, five of them reported having gunshot wounds. Tragically, two people were pronounced dead.
The two deceased victims were not students, and the identities of the injured have not been released, according to police. The student union, Bellamy, HCB Classroom Building, Rovetta A&B, Moore Auditorium, Shaw, Pepper, Hecht House, and Carraway remain an active crime scenes, and the public is advised to avoid the area.
Leon County Sheriff Walter McMeil confirmed that the shooter is the son of a Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy and had access to one of her weapons. “Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene,” Sheriff McNeil said.
FSU President Richard McCullough expressed heartbreak over the incident, saying, “We’re absolutely heartbroken by the violence that occurred on our campus earlier today.”
The FBI is assisting with the investigation and counseling, and support services are available for students, faculty, and staff at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. Busing is also underway for students to reach the reunification point at the center.
Classes at FSU have been canceled through Friday, and all athletic events in Tallahassee are canceled through Sunday. The university is urging students to contact their families to update them on their status and to remain indoors to allow first responders to work.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have assured the public that there is no further threat to the community.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post that the Justice Department was in touch with FBI agents are on the scene.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his team had been briefed on the shooting and the FBI Jacksonville team was on the ground assisting.
A student described how he felt after the mass shooting on campus. “Obviously I’m scared,” he said.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting while he was hosting the Italian Prime Minister at the Oval Office.
“I’ve been briefed on the Florida State University, Tallahassee, active shooting. I guess it’s an active shooter,” Trump said. “Fully briefed as to where we are right now. It’s a shame. Horrible thing, horrible that things like this take place, and we’ll have more to say about it later.”
Congressmen Rick Scott, Byron Donalds and Gov. Ron DeSantis commented on their social media regarding the situation on campus.
Sen. Scott said he has been in touch with law enforcement regarding the shooting.
Rep. Donalds told students to be safe and continue to shelter in place.
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