What We Know About the Florida State University Shooting Suspect

 

The suspect behind the tragic shooting at Florida State University that left two people dead and five others injured has been identified as Phoenix Ikner, 20, the son of a longtime Leon County sheriff’s deputy. Authorities say he had close ties to law enforcement, participating in training programs and serving on an advisory council in the years prior to the attack.

At the time of his arrest, Ikner was reportedly in possession of a handgun that had once belonged to Deputy Jessica Ikner, his mother, officials confirmed through records. Jessica Ikner has worked with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office for over 18 years, and according to Sheriff Walter McNeil, “her service to this community has been exceptional.”

Sheriff McNeil also noted that the suspect was “steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family and engaged in a number of training programs that we have, so it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.” Phoenix Ikner was also known as a “longstanding member” of the Youth Advisory Council, a group designed to “provide an open line of communication between the youth of Leon County and local law enforcement,” according to a 2021 press release.

Social media posts from an account bearing Ikner’s name and photo—which was taken down after his identity became public—featured a Bible verse on the profile: “You are my war club, my weapon for battle; with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms.”

Florida voter registration records list Ikner as a registered Republican. In January, he was quoted in a Florida State University student newspaper article commenting on anti-Trump protests ahead of the former president’s inauguration. “These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons,” he said. “I think it’s a little too late, he’s [Trump] already going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 and there’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt, and I don’t think anyone wants that.”

Former Classmate Recalls Troubling Behavior

Reid Seybold, an FSU student who knew Ikner through a political club, told CNN that Ikner had previously been asked to leave the group after exhibiting behavior that made other members uncomfortable. “He had continually made enough people uncomfortable where certain people had stopped coming. That’s kind of when we reached the breaking point with Phoenix, and we asked him to leave,” Seybold said.

According to Seybold, Ikner’s views extended “beyond conservatism.” Though he couldn’t recall exact statements, he remembered Ikner discussing “the ravages of multiculturalism and communism and how it’s ruining America.”

Authorities have yet to announce a motive behind the shooting, and CNN has not independently confirmed the suspect’s political views.

A Complicated Family History

Court records provide insight into Ikner’s troubled early years. When he was 10, his biological mother allegedly took him out of the country—specifically to Norway—without permission, in violation of a custody agreement. At the time, he was known as Christian Eriksen, and both he and his biological mother were dual citizens of the U.S. and Norway.

A law enforcement source confirmed to CNN that Christian Eriksen later legally changed his name to Phoenix Ikner. According to an affidavit, his biological mother told his father she would take him to South Florida for spring break in 2015, but instead fled the country with him.

She later pleaded no contest to unlawfully removing a minor from the state in defiance of a court order. She received a 200-day jail sentence, much of which she had already served, followed by a period of “community control” and probation. Additionally, she was barred from contacting her son or his educators and medical providers unless approved by a court.

Attempts to rescind her plea were denied. It remains unclear whether she had any contact with her son in recent years. However, shortly after the shooting, she posted on Facebook that she had written to Ikner’s father to ask “if everything is alright with my son, who studies at FSU,” but received no reply.

Community in Shock

News of the suspect’s background has left community members struggling to reconcile his ties to law enforcement with the violence he is now accused of committing. Kenniyah Houston, a current member of the sheriff’s youth advisory council, expressed disbelief upon learning that Ikner had once served on the same panel. Although she did not recall interacting with him personally, she emphasized the council’s mission to foster better decision-making and improve police-community relations.

“That’s what it was all about – making better decisions,” Houston said. “For something like this to happen from someone in a group like that is scary … it’s devastating.”