The gunman, identified as 20-year-old FSU student Phoenix Ikner, was swiftly taken into custody after the shooting erupted near the Student Union. Ikner, who had longstanding ties to local law enforcement through his mother—a sheriff’s deputy—used her former service weapon to carry out the attack. The motive remains unknown,
but the suspect’s background and access to firearms have raised urgent questions. Witnesses described scenes of chaos and bravery as students fled gunfire, while chilling moments—like someone recording the aftermath while sipping Starbucks—sparked outrage online. As the investigation continues, Florida reels from its sixth mass shooting this year, leaving a campus and a country again shaken by senseless violence.
