At Florida State University, the assailant and injured victims are presently receiving medical attention.
Following a horrific shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, law enforcement officers are on duty at the Florida State University (FSU) campus. [USA Today/Alicia Devine via Reuters]
Investigators in the United States said a mass shooting at Florida State University (FSU) on Thursday left two individuals dead and at least six more injured.
What we now know about the culprit, the victims, and the incident's investigation is as follows:
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At Florida State University, what took place?
At approximately 11:50 a.m. Eastern Time (15:50 gmt) on Thursday, just before lunch, a shooter opened fire outside the FSU library.
Parents and students rushed to safety in the student union's freight elevator and bowling alley after hearing gunfire.
An active shooter alert was instantly issued by the institution. The alarm system at Florida State quickly declared that the threat had been eliminated by law enforcement.
Where did the shooting at FSU happen?
On the main FSU campus in Tallahassee, Florida, near the state Capitol building, the shooting occurred outside the student union.
The main campus of FSU is home to around 42,000 students.
Florida's capital, Tallahassee, is roughly 350 kilometers (220 miles) northwest of Orlando.
What do we know about the weapons and the suspected attacker?
Phoenix Ikner, 20, the son of a Leon County sheriff's officer, has been confirmed as the shooter by Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil. According to McNeil, his mother, Jessica Ikner, has been with the sheriff's office for eighteen years.
Jason Trumbower, the head of FSU's police force, stated at a press conference on Thursday that Phoenix Ikner is a student there.
His mother's revolver, which was formerly a service weapon but is now a personal weapon, was available to him. During the press conference, McNeil stated, "Unfortunately, one of her weapons that was found at the scene was accessible to her son."
Authorities think Ikner carried a shotgun to campus in addition to the handgun. Whether this shotgun was used in the shooting is unknown. According to Trumbower, there is no proof that a shotgun was used to shoot anyone.
According to The Associated Press news agency, 21-year-old Aidan Stickney, a student studying business management at FSU, witnessed a man exit a car brandishing a shotgun and pointing it at another man. Stickney claimed he fled the area and informed others after the gun jammed and the assailant fled back to his car before coming back with a firearm and shooting a woman.
The cops shot and arrested the accused attacker when he refused to turn himself in.
The motivation of the perpetrator has not yet been disclosed or conjectured by authorities.
What are the victims' details known to us?
The victims' identities are unknown.According to Trumbower, the two deceased were not university students.
One person was hurt while attempting to flee, while five others were hurt by gunfire.
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital is treating the injured individuals. The attacker is receiving treatment here as well. It is unknown how seriously the perpetrator or victims were hurt. "At this time, details are still unfolding, and we do not yet have specific information to share," the hospital said in a statement.
What responses have people had to this incident?
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump claimed to have received a briefing on the FSU incident. It's a terrible situation. "It's terrible that incidents like this occur," he stated.
He did, however, imply that he would not support new gun laws. Trump claimed that "people, not guns, do the shooting."
In response to the shooting, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a video and a number of posts on X. He said, "State law enforcement is actively responding, and our prayers are with our FSU family."
To date this year, how many shootings have occurred in the United States?
The non-profit website Gun Violence Archive reports that there have been 81 mass shootings in the United States thus far in 2025. This includes Thursday's incident at FSU.
In January, a 17-year-old suspect shot and killed a female high school student in Nashville, Tennessee, before killing himself, law enforcement officials said.
The shooting on Thursday was the second at FSU in eleven years. Two students and an employee were injured when a graduate opened fire at the main library in 2014. The cops shot and killed the gunman.
What are the United States' firearms laws?
The US Constitution guarantees the freedom to purchase and carry a firearm.
According to the US Constitution's Second Amendment, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, as a well-regulated militia is essential to the security of a free State."
The first significant federal gun reform in thirty years was signed into law in 2022 by former US President Joe Biden. This bipartisan bill assisted states in enacting legislation that facilitates the seizure of firearms from those deemed dangerous and reinforced background checks for the youngest gun purchasers.
States have different gun ownership laws, nevertheless.
For instance, Florida was well-known for having loose gun regulations until 2018, when a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland prompted the state to enact stricter gun regulations. Extreme risk protection orders, which limit access to firearms for those deemed dangerous, were established by the new rules. Additionally, they increased the legal age of gun ownership to 21.
Will the United States enact stricter gun laws?
This is a hotly debated topic. According to a July 2024 Pew Research Center poll, roughly 58% of American adults want more gun regulations.
"Florida Governor Ron DeSantis offered his prayers to the students and faculty at FSU, but prayers are not enough," said Samantha Barrios, the Florida State Director of the gun violence prevention organization GIFFORDS, in a statement. Real action is needed now. Instead of repealing the bipartisan policies Florida put in place following Parkland, it's time to fix loopholes and enact gun safety legislation that we know works. Gabrielle Giffords, a former congresswoman, is the leader of GIFFORDS.
Legislators have been hesitant to implement any meaningful changes, though. Additionally, Trump signed an executive order on February 7 "to end the federal government's violation" of Americans' right to self-defense and the Second Amendment.
By rescinding the Biden administration's gun control policies, this directive aims to "dismantle gun control."
Biden introduced more gun control measures in addition to the bipartisan package he signed in 2022. Biden proposed a rule in April 2024 mandating that individuals who sell firearms at gun shows or online must run background checks on their clients. He issued an executive order in September 2024 creating a task team to combat machine-gun conversion devices and 3D-printed, unlicensed firearms.
Brady United, a nonprofit organization that fights gun violence, released a statement saying that President Trump's executive order "may reopen the untraceable ghost gun market and undermine actions to protect Americans from gun trafficking and violent crime."
Some organizations lobby against gun control, while others support it.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) began as a rifle-shooting club in 1871 and has since grown into a political organization that opposes gun restrictions. According to an NRA article, gun restriction restricts the freedom that the Second Amendment guarantees.
"Criminals, by definition, do not obey the law," the NRA argues. Only law-abiding individuals who obtain firearms legally are impacted by gun control laws.
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