The school gunman who used a gun he had stolen from his mother to kill two people and hurt numerous more on the FSU campus has been identified as the son of a sheriff’s officer.

After being identified as the mass shooter who terrorized Florida State University’s Tallahassee campus on Thursday afternoon, leaving two people dead and six more hospitalized with various injuries, Phoenix Ikner, 20, is now shown.

According to officials, he had “access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene.” His mother is Deputy Jessica Ikner of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.

In a chilling social media post which has now emerged, Ikner wrote: “you are my war club, my weapons for battle, with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms.”

The quotation is taken from the Bible’s book of Jeremiah, which forewarned of the approaching day of judgment.

In addition, he had lately made fun of college students who were demonstrating against the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

“These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons,” Ikner said in his school magazine, where he was described as a political science major.

“I think it’s a little too late, he’s [Trump] already going to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 and there’s not really much you can do unless you outright revolt, and I don’t think anyone wants that.”

At a press conference on Thursday, Leon County Sheriff McNeil stated that the shooter was a part of the department’s youth setup and participated in training initiatives.

Ikner was described as “steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family.”

allahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said the gun was previously used by his mother for law enforcement, but was her private handgun at the time of the shooting, because deputies “are allowed to purchase the handgun they used prior.”

According to authorities, Ikner was shot and hurt during the altercation, and there were two fatalities and six injuries overall. He is being held at the hospital.

As fear spread, horrifying videos and pictures appeared on social media, including one that showed a person being carried to safety on paramedics’ shoulders.

One witness told WFTV that they heard what sounded like “automatic gunfire” while another informed the Tallahassee Democrat that they saw a college-aged male carrying a weapon leave the student union.

After students hurried to safety, some witnesses posted videos of them running and finding cover, while others displayed food, picnic blankets, and bags that had been left on a lawn.

Students posted spooky video from inside a classroom, showing terrified people crawling beneath desks.

They heard someone repeatedly beating on the door and shouting ‘open up’, but the frightened pupils stayed motionless and mute throughout the terrible experience.

Images of worried students and staff attempting to contact loved ones on campus during evacuations were released, and Florida State University announced Thursday afternoon that all courses and programs would be canceled for the day.

Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare said it was treating several victims and was “fully mobilized and prepared to provide the highest level of care and support to all those affected.” 

According to a hospital representative, all six patients were in serious condition, with one in critical condition.

Police reportedly discovered a grey vehicle with a weapon inside that they believe may have been connected to the shooting Thursday afternoon while the campus was still under lockdown.

According to reports, police have confiscated a number of weapons, including a shotgun and a pistol, and the suspect was taken into custody while carrying a weapon.

Will Schatz, a senior at FSU, told the newspaper that he was at the Strozier Library when he noticed other students rushing out of the building.

“I could have sworn I saw a cop running after somebody and screaming something when we ran out,” he said. “Then when I got out, I heard seven to eight gunshots. I’m not sure if that was the shooter shooting or if the cops shot the shooter.” 

This mass shooting on the FSU Tallahassee campus is not the first; in November 2014, an alumni shot two students and a staff in the Strozier Library. Officers shot and killed the shooter.

Law enforcement was “actively clearing rooms on the main campus,” according to officials on Thursday afternoon, and the procedure might take several hours.

Officials said that students will be permitted to return to their residential halls after police had “neutralized the threat” just prior to a press conference on campus.

“The Student Union and the surrounding area is still considered an active crime scene,” FSU added. “Individuals should avoid the area. Students should not return to the Student Union to retrieve personal property at this time.”

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office said that it had sent out a helicopter to inspect the school after the Tallahassee Fire Department took over.

As a precaution, the Leon County School District put buildings near the campus on lockdown.

On Thursday afternoon, the FBI said that it will be arriving at the location to assist with the investigation.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement around two hours after the shooting unfolded that his “prayers are with our FSU family.” 

President Trump quickly added that he had received a “complete briefing” on the shooting.

Situated on the Sunshine State’s panhandle, FSU Tallahassee is a public university in the state capital of Florida.

It has about 45,000 students ; notable graduates include Jim Morrison of The Doors and Burt Reynolds.