Florida State University Shooter Supported White Supremacist Views, Was Removed From A Political Club: Report

Last Updated:April 18, 2025, 09:04 IST

The accused is the son of sheriff's deputy Jessica Ikner, and the handgun he used to open fire was previously her service weapon.

Students hold a vigil near the scene of a shooting near the Florida State University (Credits: AFP)

Phoenix Ikner, the 20-year-old who opened fire at Florida State University in the United States on Thursday, held white supremacist views and was removed from a political club, reported NBC News quoting the group’s president, Reid Seybold. The firing incident left at least two killed and five people injured.

Seybold mentioned that he and Ikner were part of a club and had both attended Tallahassee State College before transferring to FSU. He revealed that Ikner was asked to leave the ‘political round table’ club due to repeated issues with his rhetoric.

The accused is the son of sheriff’s deputy Jessica Ikner, and the handgun he used to open fire was previously her service weapon.

Court records reveal that Ikner had a difficult childhood. The documents note another woman as his mother, who allegedly took him out of the US against a custody agreement when he was 10 years old.

Meanwhile, the campus was locked down soon after the attack, and students were asked to shelter in place.

Speaking about the accused, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil told reporters that Ikner was a student at the university and the son of an ‘exceptional’ 18-year member of his staff.

‘Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene,’ he was quoted as saying by AFP.

Sheriff Walter McNeil told reporters that the suspect was ‘steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family and engaged in a number of training programmes that we have, so it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.’

Bystander footage aired by CNN showed a young man walking on a lawn and shooting at people who were trying to escape.

According to an eyewitness, chaos erupted soon after the firing.

‘Everyone just started running out of the student union,’ a witness named Wayne told local news station WCTV. ‘About a minute later, we heard about eight to 10 gunshots. The whole entire thing was just surreal. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Everything was really quiet, then all chaotic,’ he said.

United States of America (USA)

News world Florida State University Shooter Supported White Supremacist Views, Was Removed From A Political Club: Report