Two people are dead, and six others injured following an active shooter incident at Florida State University on Thursday.
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According to ABC News, the two people killed in the shooting were not students. The six injured have not yet been identified. Although one of the victims suffered critical injuries, they were eventually upgraded with the rest of the wounded to be in fair condition.
The accused gunman, who was identified as Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of Leon County Sheriff’s Office deputy Jessica Ukner, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after law enforcement officers shot him.
Investigators told the media outlet that the suspect used a handgun that was once his stepmother’s service weapon. His stepmother had served the Leon County Sheriff’s Office for 18 years.
He was also carrying a shotgun during the shooting, which started near Florida State University’s student union.
Sheriff Walter McNeil stated Phoenix had access to one of his mother’s personal weapons. The law enforcement official further revealed that the suspected shooter had been “steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family.”
“It’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons,” McNeil said.
Phenoix previously went by Christian Gunnar Eriksen. He changed his name after a custody dispute between his parents, which took place between the Florida panhandle and Norway. His biological mother took him to Norway in 2015 in violation of the child custody order. He was eventually brought back to the US, and he changed his name in 2020.
A Witness of the Florida State University Active Shooter Incident Speaks Out
Following the active shooter incident at Florida State University, witnesses spoke out about what they saw during the situation.
McKenzie Heeter, a Florida State University junior, told ABC News she was just feet away from the gunman when the shooting started.
“I was leaving the union with food in my hand,” she explained. “I noticed [an orange vehicle that looked like a Hummer]. Then I saw him [wearing a matching orange shirt], waving around a bigger rifle… and then he pulled out a handgun and shot that woman. That’s when I just completely ran.”
Heeter recalled her sprinting across campus to avoid the shooter.
“I did a four-minute mile in sandals,” she said. I’ve never run that fast in my life. I felt like I have got to leave or else it could be me next.”
Heeter then spoke about the woman the shooter shot first. “Her back was to him. She was just walking,” she explained. “I don’t even think she registered what happened. That’s what I just keep thinking about.”
Following the active shooter incident, law enforcement revealed its response was “massive” and “very quick.”
“We are working multiple crime scenes, and there are potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of witnesses,” Chief Lawrence Revell of the Tallahassee Police stated.
Revell then added that the suspect did not comply with commands before officers shot him. “I do not believe he fired at officers,” he added.