According to investigators in the United States, a mass shooting at Florida State University (FSU) on Thursday resulted in the deaths of two people and the injuries of at least six others.
What we currently know about the suspect, the victims, and the incident investigation:
At Florida State University, what transpired?
A gunman opened fire on a student union at FSU near lunchtime on Thursday, at 11:50 am Eastern Time (15:50 GMT).
Students and parents fled as they heard gunshots and sought shelter in the student union’s bowling alley and freight elevator.
An active shooter alert was immediately issued by the university. Soon after, Florida State’s alert system announced that law enforcement had already neutralized the threat.
Where was the location of the FSU shooting?
The shooting occurred close to the state’s Capitol building, close to the main FSU campus, which is located in Tallahassee, Florida.
At FSU’s main campus, over 42, 000 students are enrolled.
About 350 kilometers (220 miles) northwest of Orlando is Tallahassee, the state’s capital.
What information is known about the alleged attacker’s weapons?
The gunman is identified as Phoenix Ikner, a Leon County sheriff’s deputy’s son, who is now 20 years old. According to McNeil, Jessica Ikner, his mother, has worked for the sheriff’s department for 18 years.
Phoenix Ikner is a student at FSU, according to Jason Trumbower, the university’s police chief, at a Thursday press conference.
He had access to his mother’s handgun, which was formerly a service weapon but is now a personal weapon. During the press conference, McNeil said, “Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons that was discovered at the scene.”
Authorities believe Ikner brought a shotgun to the campus in addition to the handgun. Whether or not this shotgun was used in the shooting is a mystery. No one has been shot with a shotgun, according to Trumbower.
According to The Associated Press news agency, FSU student Aidan Stickney, 21, reported that he witnessed a man shoot a shotgun at another man as he approached the driver. Stickney, who claimed he fled the scene and warned others, said the attacker returned with a handgun and opened fire on a woman as he fled the scene.
The alleged attacker was shot and taken into custody when he refused to turn himself in.
Authorities have not yet speculated on or revealed the attacker’s motivation.
What are the victims’ details known to us?
The victims’ identities are unknown.
Trumbower claimed that the two dead weren’t university students.
A sixth person was hurt while trying to flee, while five others were hurt by gunfire.
At Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, the injured victims are receiving care. The attacker is also receiving treatment in this area. It is unknown how many injuries the victims or the attacker suffered. Details are still being worked out, and we do not yet have specific information to share, according to a statement from the hospital.
What were people’s reactions to this incident?
While speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump claimed that he had been informed about the FSU incident. It’s a terrible thing, they say. He claimed that it’s horrible that such things happen.
He did, however, say he would not support any new gun-related legislation. Trump remarked, “The people do the shooting, not the gun.”
In response to the shooting, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded via a series of tweets and a video that was posted on X. State law enforcement is responding actively, he wrote, and our prayers are with our FSU family.
Florida State University is our partner. We are all Seminoles today. pic. twitter.com/dUMW3eL48r
Thursday and Friday classes on the FSU main campus were all canceled.
How many shootings have occurred in the US this year so far?
According to the not-for-profit website Gun Violence Archive, there have been 81 mass shootings in the US so far in 2025. This includes the Thursday shooting at FSU.
A 17-year-old suspect shot and killed a female high school student in Nashville, Tennessee, before turning the gun on himself, according to law enforcement officials.
The FSU shooting occurred on Thursday, marking its second shooting in 11 years. Two students and an employee were hurt when a graduate opened fire on the main library in 2014. The police fatally shot the shooter, killing him.
What are the US’s gun laws?
The US Constitution guarantees the right to purchase and carry a gun.
The Second Amendment to the US Constitution states that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be violated.”
Former US President Joe Biden signed the first significant federal gun reform bill into law in three decades, 2022. This bipartisan bill made background checks easier for those who purchase firearms, and it made it easier for states to pass laws allowing them to seize weapons from people who are perceived as dangerous.
However, state laws on gun ownership vary.
Florida, for instance, had strong gun laws up until 2018, when it passed them in response to the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Extreme risk protection orders, which were passed in response to the new laws, are in place to restrict access to firearms from those who are perceived to be dangerous. Additionally, they increased the age to which a gun can be purchased to 21.
Will US gun laws be stricter?
This subject is fraught with controversy. According to a Pew Research Center report released in July 2024, about 58% of American adults support stricter gun laws.
GIFFORDS, the organization that promotes gun violence prevention, said in a statement that “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis offered his prayers to the students and faculty at FSU, but prayers are insufficient. Real action is now necessary. Instead of reversing the bipartisan measures that Florida adopted after Parkland, it is time to close the loopholes and pass gun safety laws that are effective. Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords serves as the leader of GIFFORDS.
Legislators have resisted making significant changes, though. Additionally, on February 7, Trump signed an executive order “to end the federal government’s violation” of Americans’ right to protect themselves and their families.
This order seeks to “dismantle gun control,” removing restrictions placed by the Biden administration on gun use.
Biden introduced additional gun control measures in addition to the bipartisan bill he signed in 2022. In April of this year, Biden passed a law mandating background checks on customers of online gun dealers and dealers of weapons at gun shows. He signed an executive order setting up a task force to combat unserialized, 3D-printed weapons in September 2024.
A statement from Brady United, a nonprofit organization against gun violence, reads, “President Trump’s executive order could reopen the untraceable ghost gun market and undermine actions to protect Americans from gun trafficking and violent crime.”
While some groups support gun control legislation, others oppose it.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) was founded in 1871 as a recreational rifle shooting club, but it has since grown into a political campaign group. According to an NRA article, gun control places limitations on the freedoms guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
Source: Aljazeera
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