According to authorities, the 20-year-old Florida State University (FSU) student who is suspected of starting a shooting on campus Thursday received gun handling instruction from his sheriff deputy stepmother.
Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of Leon County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jessica Ikner, is the suspect in the lunchtime shooting at FSU’s crowded student union building that left two people dead and six injured. On the day of the attack, Ikner allegedly carried one of her guns to campus, according to the authorities.
Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil stated, “That was one of the weapons that was found at the scene,” according to The New York Post.
The sheriff’s office also confirmed that Phoenix Ikner had been taught how to handle firearms by Deputy Ikner. “His family exposed him to safety as it relates to utilising firearms,” a department spokeswoman said, as per The NY Post. Another spokesperson, Javonni Hampton, added that Phoenix Ikner learned to handle guns from his stepmother.
The firearm used in the attack was a pistol Jessica Ikner had kept for personal use after the department upgraded its service weapons – a common practice, officials added. She is described by the department as a “model employee” with 18 years of service. Following the incident, she has taken a leave of absence.
Lockdown was imposed on the FSU campus following the shooting. As emergency personnel hurried to the area, students were told to remain indoors. On the university grounds, a man was seen shooting at others who were fleeing for their lives.
A witness reported that “everyone just started running out of the student union.” “After about a minute, we heard eight or ten gunshots.”
Officials from FSU attested that the two fatalities were not students. Their identities have not been made public yet. Responding officers shot the subject, who was then transported to a medical facility. He is now steady.
Phoenix Ikner was also a former member of the Sheriff’s Youth Advisory Council, a program designed to give local youth a voice in community policing efforts. “It was an opportunity for youth in our community to express any concerns they had about crime prevention and safety,” Hampton said.