Surveillance video and witness interviews reveal how a 20-year-old Florida State University student allegedly carried out a campus mass shooting in April that left two people dead and six others injured, according to an arrest affidavit released Tuesday.
Phoenix Ikner, a political science major at FSU, was formally charged Tuesday with two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder following the April 17 attack. He was arrested Monday after being released from the hospital and booked into jail. Police said he was shot in the jaw by a responding officer during the rampage and needed reconstructive face surgery.
Timeline of violence captured on video
According to the Tallahassee Police Department, Ikner arrived on campus that morning and was spotted near the Student Union shortly before noon wearing a garnet-colored shirt. Surveillance footage and cellphone videos obtained by investigators showed Ikner walking in and out of buildings before pulling a shotgun from a Hummer SUV registered to his father, the arrest affidavit stated.
At one point, Ikner allegedly aimed the shotgun at a person identified in the report as J.W., but the weapon appeared to malfunction. He then returned to the vehicle, retrieved a .45-caliber Glock handgun, and began firing, according to his arrest affidavit.
Video footage cited in the report allegedly showed him shooting multiple people in rapid succession, assuming a deliberate “shooting stance” as he opened fire. A victim identified as M.A. was struck by three shots as Ikner extended his arms and fired in succession.
Witnesses and victims describe horror
Police said in the report that the shooting unfolded in a matter of minutes. Responding FSU officers arrived at the scene around 11:58 a.m. and found Ikner firing at a fleeing individual. One officer returned fire and struck Ikner in the jaw, ending the attack.
Witnesses told investigators the shooter matched the description of a white male wearing a garnet shirt. Several victims were found on scene with gunshot wounds, and two were pronounced dead: Robert Morales, a 57-year-old university dining services employee, and Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old vendor employee. They were named in the arrest affidavit as R.M. and T.C. but their families have since confirmed their identities.
Additional footage showed Ikner chasing Chabba through the courtyard, shooting him once before circling back to fire a second fatal shot as he lay on the ground. The second fatal victim, Morales, was shot in the back while walking hurriedly through the food court just before noon, according to a different FSU surveillance camera cited by investigators in the affidavit.
Authorities said Ikner also shot at others as they fled, including victims identified in the report as E.M., R.G., J.B., and S.O., some of whom were taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital with gunshot wounds. All surviving victims have since been released from medical care.
The accused FSU shooter used his stepmom’s weapon
Investigators say Ikner used a handgun that previously belonged to his stepmother, Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Ikner. The weapon had since become her personal firearm. Sheriff Walt McNeil confirmed that Phoenix Ikner, who had previously been involved in youth programs at the agency, accessed the weapon and used it during the attack.
A shotgun was later recovered from the Hummer Ikner drove to campus, police said.
On Monday, Ikner, who was originally booked into the Leon County Detention Facility, was transferred to the Wakulla County Jail, a standard procedure given his familial ties to local law enforcement, authorities said.
He made his first court appearance virtually from jail Tuesday. A judge has ordered he be held without bond and barred him from contacting any victims or their families.
Hunter Geisel and
John MacLauchlan
contributed to this report.
