FSU shooting suspect Phoenix Ikner released from hospital, faces murder and other charges
Phoenix Ikner was released from an area hospital on Monday.
By Ryan Young and Devon M. Sayers, CNN
(CNN) — A Florida State University student accused of killing two people and injuring six others on campus has been released from the hospital and faces murder charges, according to Tallahassee police.
Phoenix Ikner, 20, was a political science major at the school and the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy.
Ikner has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first degree murder with a firearm, according to jail records.
The suspect is expected to make his first court appearance Tuesday morning, where authorities are expected to provide details from their probable cause affidavit. CNN has not been able to determine whether Ikner has an attorney.
“We are grateful for the work of our detectives, officers, medical personnel and partner agencies who helped bring us to this point,” Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said in a news release.
The April 17 shooting – just weeks before the end of the semester – took place near the student union. Two men – a university dining coordinator and an employee of a campus vendor – were killed.
Campus police shot Ikner on the campus after he “did not comply with commands,” authorities said. They did not detail his specific injuries.
Authorities have not publicly identified a possible motive, though there did not appear to be any connections between the suspect and any of the victims.
CNN was trying to determine Monday afternoon whether Ikner is still enrolled at Florida State.
Since the shooting, Ikner’s previous classmates from his time at Tallahassee State College have said his political beliefs were extreme and they were made uncomfortable with his “concerning rhetoric” – including describing civil rights icon Rosa Parks as being “in the wrong,” defending the use of Nazi symbols, and disparaging pro-Palestinian and Black Lives Matter protesters, CNN previously reported. It’s not clear if politics was a factor in shooting
Ikner spent time training with law enforcement and serving on a sheriff’s advisory council in the years before his attack, authorities have said
Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil told reporters at a press conference after the shooting 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.”
Jessica Ikner, Phoenix’s mother, has served at the sheriff’s department for more than 18 years, McNeil said, adding “her service to this community has been exceptional.” She did not respond to a request for comment after the shooting. The deputy has since taken personal leave from the department.
Ikner will be moved from the Leon County jail to another facility as a “standard protocol” due to his relationship to Jessica Ikner, the sheriff’s department said in a Monday Facebook post.
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