As we described soon afterwards, on April 17 a deeply tragic shooting made FSU’s campus—home to more than 41,000 students—unsafe. This unimaginable tragedy took the lives of two women and injured six other individuals. The situation began at approximately noon. It included 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, who shot up the campus with a gun that his stepfather, a former deputy, had legally acquired. Thankfully, campus officers responded right away and caught Ikner within five minutes. As a result of this brief interaction, he was severely injured.
What makes Ikner’s actions particularly troubling is that they have been named a mass shooting. This disturbing incident exemplifies a new, horrifying trend in the United States and is one of at least 81 mass shootings thus far in 2025. Further investigations into Ikner’s past quickly uncovered some alarming aspects, including an internet history rife with Nazi and Hitler-related topics. The Anti-Defamation League ASHLAT has tracked these records, at times revealing a pattern of failed extremism leading to deadly violence.
The shooting happened on a day when the most students would have been on campus to attend classes and participate in various other campus activities. After the melee, many of the wounded were taken to a nearby community hospital for emergency treatment.
Immediate Aftermath of the Shooting
In the aftermath of the shooting, shock and anger were palpable on the FSU campus. University President Richard McCullough further addressed the students and staff via email on Tuesday, recognizing the community’s shared grief and anger.
“There is no manual on how we feel when something like this happens. I’m angry, you’re angry…. I’m completely numb. Some of you are scared. I understand that,” – McCullough
He reiterated the importance of community support during the most tragic of times. He stated, “We are family. During difficult times like these, we come together for each other.”
Students met panic and harassment with hope and determination. Madison Askins recounted her experience during the shooting, expressing her initial thoughts:
“I definitely thought it was the end.”
This feeling seemed to hang in the air around campus, as students and faculty were still trying to process the tragic events that had occurred.
Profiling the Shooter
Phoenix Ikner’s background presents a troubling narrative. Now, the shooting required a gun owned by his stepfather—who was a former deputy. This key finding begs the question, what role do family relationships play in influencing access to weapons? His online behavior exposed a fixation with extremist ideologies, raising alarms about what radicalizing influences can do to impressionable youth.
Carla Hill, an expert in extremism, commented on the implications of Ikner’s mindset:
“What we’re seeing – if in fact this individual has extremist views and it seems at the very least he was exposed to extremism – is the continued crossover between extremism and the glorification of violence that eventually leads to violence.”
In fact, Ikner’s gaming accounts include glorification of Nazis and Hitler. This different, especially troubling trend among some youth glorifies violent extremism and merits much greater concern.
Community Resilience and Healing
Our FSU community has only begun to heal from this tragedy. Leaders are still in the process of creating a hospital culture that fosters this supportive and healing environment. President McCullough posed a challenge to students of connecting with one another during this difficult time.
“We need to keep doing that over the next weeks. Reach out, listen, be kind, be there.” – McCullough
Students have made it clear that they are determined to take back their campus as a space to learn and connect. Rachel Cannella articulated this determination:
“We sat in those classrooms, this is where we walk every day to class, you can’t let someone take that away from us.”
The sentiment that FSU is home for many students remains strong, with Cannella affirming that they will not back down in the face of adversity.
“I think we all share in knowing that this is where we belong, and this is our home, and we’re not going to back down.”
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