In a heart-wrenching turn of events, a shooting at Florida State University (FSU) on Thursday has left two individuals dead and four others injured. The suspected gunman, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is the son of a deputy sheriff in Leon County. Authorities report that Ikner acted alone, though the motive behind this horrific act remains unclear.

The devastating incident unfolded shortly before noon near the busy student union building on the Tallahassee campus. According to Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil, the firearm used in the attack was a handgun once belonging to Ikner’s mother, who had purchased it as her service weapon and later transitioned it into a personal firearm. “Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons that was found at the scene,” Sheriff McNeil stated during a press conference, highlighting the tragic circumstances surrounding the acquisition of the weapon.

Eyewitness accounts describe scenes of chaos as students and faculty members were alerted to "shelter in place" amid the unfolding crisis. The FSU police chief, Jason Trumbower, confirmed that the deceased victims were not affiliated with the university.

The shooting began around 11:50 a.m., triggering panic across the campus, which serves over 42,000 students. Max Jenkins, a student who witnessed the incident, recounted seeing Ikner emerge from the student union and fire shots into the open. “He saw the maintenance guy who was waving everybody and I guess heard him probably and turned and shot that way,” Jenkins recalled, noting a bullet hole found in a nearby golf cart.

Chris Pento was on a campus tour with his children when the gunfire erupted. "It was surreal, people started running. She just got trampled over,” he shared, referring to his daughter’s distress as chaos ensued around them.

Police officers responded swiftly to the scene, engaging with the shooter when he refused orders to surrender. Ikner was shot by law enforcement before being taken into custody and transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he remains under medical care.

In addition to the handgun, authorities believe Ikner may have brought a shotgun onto campus. However, it is still uncertain whether this weapon was involved in the attack itself.

This shooting marks a repeat of tragic violence on the FSU campus; it is the second major incident in 11 years. The previous shooting occurred in 2014 when a graduate opened fire in the main library, injuring two students and an employee while they prepared for exams.

The reality of mass shootings on U.S. campuses continues to be an ongoing concern, as the country grapples with the implications of such violence. Recent years have witnessed a string of fatal shootings at educational institutions, with notable incidents including the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, which claimed 32 lives, and more recent tragedies at Michigan State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

As the investigation unfolds, FSU and the surrounding community are left to cope with the aftermath of this senseless act of violence, mourning the lives lost and the lives forever changed by this tragic event.