A police officer setting up a camera in a crime scene | Source: Getty Images
Alleged FSU Shooter Identified as Son of Sheriff’s Deputy — Details
The alleged shooter responsible for the deaths and injuries of seven people has been apprehended by law enforcement and identified as Phoenix Ikner, who previously went by a different name.
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Shots rang out on April 17, 2025, near the FSU Student Union in Tallahassee, claiming the lives of two men who were not students and injuring five others.
Authorities responded quickly and shot the suspected gunman, who was then hospitalized and taken into custody after sustaining non-life threatening injuries.
He was identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of Leon County Sheriff's Deputy Jessica Ikner, who has served in the position for over 18 years.
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Officials said one of the weapons found at the scene was a service handgun that belonged to the deputy. Sheriff Walter McNeil told ABC that Phoenix had been a longtime member of the Leon County Sheriff's Office's Youth Advisory Council.
He also noted that Phoenix was closely connected to the Sheriff’s Office family. "It's not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons," he added.
As a child, Phoenix was at the center of a custody battle between his biological mother, Anne-Mari Eriksen, and his father, Christopher Ikner.
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Anne-Mari and Phoenix held dual citizenship in Norway and the US. An affidavit obtained by ABC states that in 2015, she took Phoenix—who went by Christian Gunner Eriksen at the time—back to Norway under the guise of a spring break trip to South Florida.
This was in violation of her custody agreement with Christopher. The document also reveals that Phoenix was a special needs child with developmental delays and his father feared he wouldn't receive proper treatment without access to his doctors in the States.
Phoenix was on medication for several mental and health issues, which included a growth hormone disorder and ADHD. He was eventually returned home.
Following her arrest in July 2015, his mother pleaded guilty for illegally removing him from Florida. Phoenix would continue to go by his initial name—Christian Gunnar Eriksen—before having it changed in 2020.
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