FSU to hold vigil, six still recovering in the hospital day after campus shooting

Florida State University plans to hold a vigil on Friday evening after Thursday’s gunfire that left two people dead and several wounded.

Authorities identified the shooter as 20‑year‑old Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student and son of a Leon County Sheriff’s deputy. Officers shot and detained him at the scene before he was transported to the hospital. Information on Ikner’s condition has not been released.

Police have not yet released the names of the victims. They confirmed that seven people were shot in total — two of whom were killed and five others injured. An additional person was hurt while trying to flee the scene. Authorities also confirmed that the two individuals who died were not students.

Two victims are set to be discharged from the hospital by Friday, three people are in good condition, and one person is in fair condition as of 9 a.m., according to Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare.

The university plans to hold a vigil for the victims at 5 p.m. Friday at Langford Green in front of the Unconquered Statute.

FSU has opened a Support Center at the Askew Student Life Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, where counseling and victim advocate services will be available.

The alleged shooter’s mother, Jessica Ikner, has been a Leon County Sheriff’s deputy for 18 years, Sheriff Walter McNeil said at a Thursday press conference.

READ MORE:What we know about the FSU suspected shooter, son of a Leon County deputy

According to police, the handgun used by Ikner as he went on his campus rampage shortly before noon belonged to the deputy, a school resource officer. It was her former service weapon that she was allowed to buy the weapon for her personal use, police said.

Police say the shooting began before noon Thursday. Reports emerged shortly after over the school’s emergency alert system, sending students and faculty into a panic as they were instructed to seek shelter.

Responding officers could be seen running around campus, guns in hand, as they worked to secure the Tallahassee campus and evacuate students.

By 3:17 p.m., Tallahassee Police said they’d secured the campus, with many students being let back into their dorms.

“Everyone’s angry,” said student Victor Alonso, 19, from his dorm after the shooting. “I just don’t know how this can happen — it’s disgusting.”