Florida State University (FSU) is reeling after a campus tragedy mass shooting that left two people dead and at least six others seriously injured.
As the investigation unfolds, chilling new details have emerged about the suspect, including a disturbing message posted to social media just hours before the attack.
A Day of Campus Tragedy
The shooting took place on Thursday on the grounds of FSU, sending shockwaves through the university community. One of the victims has been identified as Robert Morales, while the identities of the other injured students have not yet been released. Local hospitals have reported that six individuals remain in serious condition, with one currently listed as critical.
Authorities confirmed that the shooter, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is the stepson of Deputy Jessica Ikner from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. According to law enforcement, the weapon used in the shooting was registered to his stepmother and was recovered at the scene. Ikner sustained injuries during the incident and is currently hospitalized.
Disturbing Warning Shared Online
Shortly before the tragedy occurred, Ikner posted a cryptic and alarming message to social media. The quote, pulled from the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible, read:
“You are my war club, my weapons for battle, with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms.”
The message has been interpreted by many as a warning of violence and has added to the growing unease surrounding the attack.
Reports from students and classmates indicate that Ikner had previously expressed white supremacist and far-right views. One student, Reid Seybold, shared that Ikner regularly espoused extremist rhetoric, prompting concern from both peers and faculty.
Political Comments and Radical Beliefs
In addition to his disturbing social post, Ikner had mocked fellow students in a school magazine over their political views—particularly those who opposed the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
He wrote:
“These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons… It’s a little too late. [Trump] is already going to be inaugurated. There’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt, and I don’t think anyone wants that.”
This pattern of rhetoric has now taken on a darker tone in light of Thursday’s events.
Eyewitness Accounts From Campus Tragedy
Students present during the shooting described scenes of panic and fear. Dakota Bages, a student on campus, told CNN, “We just kind of heard ruckus. Then we heard screams—from a man and then a woman—like someone had been knocked over.”
She and others acted quickly, barricading themselves in classrooms and using heavy desks to block entryways. “Some students were crying. Others shouted, ‘Push the table! Cover the door!’” she recalled. The quick thinking of students and staff likely prevented further loss of life.
Investigation Ongoing
Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil confirmed that Ikner was part of the department’s youth outreach program. They had previously participated in law enforcement-related activities.
“This individual was steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family,” McNeil stated. “This makes the situation all the more painful.”
Nearby schools were placed on lockdown following the campus tragedy, and increased security was implemented across the FSU campus.
As families, students, and faculty process the trauma of the FSU shooting, attention now turns to the motive and warning signs leading up to the tragedy. Investigators are reviewing social media posts, school writings, and personal relationships in the hopes of understanding what drove Ikner to commit such violence.
While the campus mourns the lives lost, many are calling for deeper attention to mental health, online extremism, and campus security.
