20-year-old son of county sheriff's deputy was 'active shooter' at FSU. He used his mother's gun to kill 2

20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, the son of the county sheriff's deputy, was identified as the 'active shooter' at Florida State University who killed at least 2. Leon County Sheriff Walter . McNeil confirmed this at news conference hours after the emergency situation was handled and the shooter was neutralized. Police said the shooter was also injured and hospitalized though it is not known who shot him. Ikner had access to his mother's gun and it was the same gun that was used for shooting.

“These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons,” Phoenix Ikner, a political science major, said. “I think it’s a little too late, he’s [Trump] already going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 & there’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt pic.twitter.com/of8xhcNs95

— Paula Neal Mooney (@PAULANEALMOONEY) April 17, 2025

🚨 #BREAKING: Police announce the shooter at Florida State University is the son of a Leon County Sheriff's Deputy

He's been identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, and used one of his mother's weapons to commit the mass shooting at FSU.

HOLY CRAP. pic.twitter.com/mlkrQAQlvg

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 17, 2025

A Political Science major, Ikner's political leaning is under scanner. An old quote has come to the surface that he gave during a students' protest. "I think it's a little too late. Trump is 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," he said before Trump's inauguration about the students' protest against Trumop.

Before the shooter was identified, CNN reported that the FSU shooter is a young person who is local to Tallahassee, grew up in the city, in the area and the police were in touch with his family. Some witnesses said the shooter was a white male with light hair. One student said she saw the gunman arriving in an orange Hummer and he looked like a "normal college dude".

"I was leaving the union with my food. There's a road next to it and I was walking and this guy pulls up in an orange Hummer, and he gets out with a rifle and shoots in my direction. There were a couple of kids near me," McKenzie Heeter, a junior at FSU told MSNBC. "I think he was shooting and he missed. So he goes back into the car and grabs a pistol. Then he turns and shoots the lady in front of him. That's when I just started running," she said. The shooter was wearing an orange T-shirt and khaki shorts, she said.