TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) 鈥� A , killing two people and wounding at least six others, police said. The 20-year-old gunman is the son of a sheriff鈥檚 deputy whose former service weapon was used in the shooting, authorities said.
The two people who died were not students at the university, but the shooter is believed to be a student, said Florida State University Police Chief Jason Trumbower.
Five people were being treated at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, Trumbower said, and the shooter is also receiving medical attention.
Here's the latest:
FSU students take in a campus crime scene
As dusk fell Thursday, students walked the grounds of Florida State University, taking in the sight of their campus now rendered a crime scene ringed with investigators鈥� yellow tape. Several students sat silently before a small memorial of candles and flowers near the student union.
Tables that had been set up to plug local apartment complexes and cannabis dispensaries sat abandoned along a tree-lined walkway outside the brick building, close to the scene of the midday shooting.
Also left behind in the apparent scramble for safety: a pair of sandals, a half-full Starbucks matcha latte, notes from a chemistry class scattered across the ground.
Police block access to area where suspected shooter鈥檚 family lives
A Tallahassee Police Department patrol car was stationed Thursday evening near the street where the suspected Florida State University shooter鈥檚 family lives, blocking reporters from approaching the home in a well-kept suburban neighborhood on the city鈥檚 east side.
University president visits some of wounded in hospital
FSU president Richard McCullough says he has visited some of the wounded students in the hospital.
McCullough also called the campus police officers 鈥渁bsolute heroes鈥� and says their response to the shooting 鈥減revented this from being a bigger tragedy.鈥�
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a message posted on social media that 鈥渨e are all Seminoles today. We stand by to help in any way that we can.鈥�
Witness says the suspect鈥檚 shotgun jammed
Aidan Stickney, a 21-year-old studying business management, says he was running late to class when he saw a man get out of a car with a shotgun and aim at another man in a white polo shirt.
Stickney says the gun jammed and the shooter rushed back to the car and emerged with a handgun, opening fire on a woman. Stickney ran, warning others as he called 911.
鈥淚 got lucky today. I really did. I really, really did,鈥� he says.
University Police Chief Trumbower says investigators have no evidence that anyone was shot with the shotgun.
All six patients wounded during shooting are in fair condition, hospital says
All six patients wounded during the shooting are in fair condition, according to an update from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. The hospital said earlier Thursday that one of those wounded was in critical condition.
The alleged shooter is among the wounded, having been shot by arriving officers after refusing to comply with commands, officials said.
Two people who were not FSU students died in the shooting. FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower says he will not be releasing additional information about the victims.
FBI calls for photos, video and other information for its investigation
The FBI is urging anyone at or near the shooting scenes to send photos, video recordings or other information to an FBI website collecting tips for what was called a very active investigation.
City police Chief Revell says of responding officers鈥� confrontation with the gunman that they 鈥渃hallenged him and they ended up shooting him. He did not comply with commands and was shot. I do not believe he fired at all.鈥�
鈥淣eedless to say we have multiple crime scenes鈥� with hundreds or even more witnesses, Revell says.
Students moved classroom desks to barricade door before police escorted them out
Andres Perez, a 20-year-old junior, was in a classroom near the Student Union when the alarm sounded for a lockdown. He said his classmates began moving desks in front of the door. Police officers came to escort them out about 15 minutes later.
鈥淚 always hang out in the Student Union,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淪o the second I found out that the threat was there, my heart sank and I was scared.鈥�
Perez says he鈥檚 not sure what he鈥檒l do when classes eventually resume.
鈥淚鈥檓 thinking that I have finals around the corner. School鈥檚 about to wrap up in just two weeks,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淎nd there鈥檚 so much to take into account. There are so many emotions there.鈥�
Officers wounded shooter after he refused to comply with commands, chief says
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell says officers shot and wounded the shooter after he refused to comply with commands.
Officials say the shooter, identified by police as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is believed to be a Florida State student.
Authorities have not yet revealed a motive for the shooting.
Gunman used former service weapon belonging to mother, a deputy, sheriff says
Sheriff McNeil says the alleged shooter, Phoenix Ikner, had access to a former service weapon that had been used by his mother, a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff鈥檚 Office for 18 years.
鈥淪he has a tremendous job that she鈥檚 done, her service to this community has been exceptional,鈥� McNeil said during a news conference. 鈥淯nfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene."
McNeil says that as a member of the sheriff鈥檚 office Youth Advisory Council, Ikner had been 鈥渆ngaged in a number of training programs that we have.鈥�
鈥淪o it鈥檚 not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons,鈥� McNeil says.
Shooter fired at individuals around student union building, official says
University police chief Jason Trumbower says the shooter opened fire at about 11:50 a.m., shooting individuals around the student union building.
Trumbower says authorities would not be releasing information about the victims, including whether they were students. But he did confirm the two people who were killed were not students at the university.
Sheriff says alleged shooter was a member of his office鈥檚 youth advisory council
Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil revealed the alleged shooter鈥檚 identity and his relation to Deputy Jessica Ikner, who has been with the sheriff鈥檚 office for over 18 years.
McNeil says the alleged shooter was a long-standing member of the sheriff鈥檚 office鈥檚 youth advisory council and engaged in a number of training programs with the office.
鈥淭his is obviously a heinous crime,鈥� McNeil said. 鈥淲e will make sure that we do everything we can to prosecute and make sure that we send a message to folks that this will never be tolerated here in Leon County, and I dare say across the state and across this nation.鈥�
Police identify alleged FSU shooter and confirm 2 are dead and 6 were injured
Police officials have confirmed that two people are dead and six were injured in the shooting, including the 20-year-old shooter, who was the son of a Leon County sheriff鈥檚 deputy.
Police say they believe Phoenix Ikner shot the victims using his parents鈥� former service handgun and was a current student at FSU.
Trump says shooting is a 鈥渟hame,鈥� but he wont' be advocating for any new gun legislation
Asked about shooting, Trump said 鈥渋t鈥檚 a shame,鈥� adding that he knew the school and the area 鈥渧ery well.鈥�
But Trump suggested that he would not be advocating for any new gun legislation, saying, 鈥渢he gun doesn鈥檛 do the shooting, the people do.鈥�
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump called himself a 鈥渂ig advocate鈥� of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms.
The shooter was the son of a sheriff's deputy
The shooter is the 20-year-old son of a sheriff鈥檚 deputy, who obtained access to their parent鈥檚 weapon, the FSU police chief said.
The shooter was 鈥渆ngaged in a number of training programs鈥� that the agency offered, he added.
2 dead and at least 5 wounded in shooting
FSU Police Chief Jason Trumbower confirmed two deaths from a Florida State University shooting at about noon Thursday.
The two people killed were not students at the university, but the shooter is believed to be a student.
Five people are being treated at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, and the shooter is also receiving medical attention, he said.
FSU cancels classes through Friday
Florida State University is canceling classes through Friday, which is two weeks before the university鈥檚 scheduled commencement ceremony for graduates on May 2 to 3.
The university鈥檚 official finals week per its academic calendar is scheduled to start April 28.
University lifts lockdown
FSU鈥檚 alert system announced shortly after 3 p.m. that law enforcement had 鈥渘eutralized the threat."
Officials are asking students and faculty to avoid the Student Union and several other areas that are still considered an active crime scene. People are otherwise free to move about the campus.
鈥業t was a bit of a surreal moment鈥�
Jake Nair, a senior at Florida State University, was studying in the library when a police officer dashed out of the building, yelling for everyone to stay in place.
鈥淗e ran outside with his gun out,鈥� Nair said. 鈥淣ot all the students heard him, and some of them ran out the back of the library.鈥�
Nair said an alarm in the library then went off and a recorded message warned students to shelter in place because of an active shooter on campus.
Then about five officers came into the library and escorted the students out with their hands up.
鈥淚 think they just wanted to make sure none of us had a weapon on us,鈥� Nair said. 鈥淭o be honest, it was a bit of a surreal moment. It鈥檚 the kind of thing you only see on the news.鈥�
This isn't the first shooting at FSU
For some Florida State University faculty and staffers who have been on campus for the past dozen years, Thursday鈥檚 events brought back memories of another shooting at the school鈥檚 main library more than a decade ago.
Three people in 2014 were shot just outside and inside the entrance of Strozier Library in the middle of FSU鈥檚 campus. Officers who arrived within two minutes of the first call shot and killed the gunman, 31-year-old Myron May.
Three bullets struck 21-year-old student Farhan 鈥淩onny鈥� Ahmed, including a shot that severely damaged his spine and left him paralyzed from the waist down. The other two victims were library employee Nathan Scott who was shot in the leg and later released from the hospital and a student who was grazed by a bullet.
May, a 2005 FSU graduate and an attorney, reloaded at least once and tried to enter the library, but was blocked by lobby security barriers. Police responded and fired off a barrage of bullets that killed him.
Videos and a journal obtained by police indicate May thought he was being watched and targeted by the government.
Nearby Florida A&M University cancels classes
Florida A&M University, a university minutes away from Florida State University in Tallahassee, that classes and student activities are canceled for the rest of the day, in response to the shooting.
Employees have the option to work remotely for the rest of the day.
鈥榃e didn鈥檛 know 鈥� it could get worse, right?鈥�
Chris Pento told Tallahassee TV station WCTV that he was on campus Thursday for a tour with his twins and that they were inside the student union getting lunch when they heard gunshots.
鈥淚t was surreal. And people just started running,鈥� he told the TV station.
Pento said he and several others crammed into a service elevator after first encountering locked doors at the end of a hallway.
鈥淭hat was probably the scariest point because we didn鈥檛 know 鈥� it could get worse, right?鈥� he said. 鈥淭he doors opened, and two officers were there, guns drawn.鈥�
He said the officers asked if they鈥檇 seen anything and then pointed them to safety.
鈥業t鈥檚 so hard to believe'
Kai McGalla, an FSU sophomore studying finance and Spanish, was taking a test on Excel spreadsheets at a testing center on campus when he started to hear sirens headed to the student union about a 20-minute walk away. The test proctor told them they were being locked down at the center because of the shooting.
鈥淚鈥檓 in shock, you know, it鈥檚 so hard to believe,鈥� McGalla said by phone while still locked down at the testing center. 鈥淭he first thing you think of is just, 鈥楾his can鈥檛 be true,鈥� right?鈥�
Florida State cancels all home athletic events through Sunday
The canceled events include three baseball and three softball games.
It鈥檚 not immediately clear if FSU teams scheduled for road events will also see their games canceled or postponed.
鈥業n that moment, it was survival鈥�
Ryan Cedergren, a 21-year-old communications student, said he and about 30 others hid in the bowling alley in the lower level of the student union after seeing students running from a nearby bar.
鈥淚n that moment, it was survival,鈥� Cedergren said.
After about 15 minutes of hiding, university police escorted the students out of the union, and Cedergren said he saw a person receiving emergency treatment on the lawn.
Trump has been 鈥榝ully briefed鈥�
The president opened his Oval Office meeting with the Italian prime minister with comments on the shooting at Florida State University.
Trump said he had been 鈥渇ully briefed.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a horrible thing. It鈥檚 horrible that things like this take place,鈥� he said.
What to know about FSU
Florida State University is one of Florida鈥檚 12 public universities, with its main campus located in Tallahassee, where the shooting occurred, just minutes from the state Capitol building. About 44,300 students are enrolled in the university, per the school鈥檚 2024 fact sheet.
At least six people have been hospitalized
One person is in critical condition, a spokesperson for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said. The other patients are in serious condition, the spokesperson said.
A suspect has been taken into police custody
A suspect has been taken into police custody and multiple victims were reported in a shooting Thursday at Florida State University, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
The extent of the victims鈥� injuries was not immediately known and there were no additional details about the person who was in custody.
The person was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.
By Mike Balsamo
FBI agents are on the scene, officials say
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post that the Justice Department is in touch with FBI agents who are on the scene.
鈥淥ur priority is the safety of everyone involved,鈥� Bondi wrote on X. 鈥淲e will keep updating as we learn more. Praying for all.鈥�
In a social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel said that he and his team had been briefed on the shooting and that agents from the bureau鈥檚 Jacksonville field office were at the school. 鈥淲e will provide full support to local law enforcement as needed,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淧lease keep the FSU community in your prayers.鈥�
Governor responds to active shooting
鈥淥ur prayers are with our FSU family and state law enforcement is actively responding,鈥� Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on X.
Scene on campus
Ambulances, fire trucks and patrol vehicles from multiple law enforcement agencies raced toward the campus after the university issued an active shooter alert midday Thursday, saying police were responding near the student union.
Hundreds of students streamed away from the direction of the student union. Students were glued to their phones, some visibly emotional, while others hugged each other. Dozens gathered near the music school, waiting for news.
The Associated Press
