Second victim in FSU shooting identified; new suspect details revealed: Updates
Editor's Note: Paste BN's coverage of the FSU campus shooting continues on April 19.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The two men killed in the mass shooting at Florida State University have been identified by family members and close friends.
The fatal victims of the April 17 attack include Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old father and executive for campus vendor Aramark, and Robert Morales, a beloved high school football coach who worked in the university's dining services department.
Chabba, of Greenville, South Carolina, was the regional vice president of Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, according to his LinkedIn page. He is survived by his wife and two children, according to a law firm hired by his family.
Morales, a Miami native who was admired as a “trusted coach” and “cherished friend,” was identified in a post on X by his brother. "Today we lost my younger Brother, He was one of the victims killed at FSU. He loved his job at FSU and his beautiful Wife and Daughter. I’m glad you were in my Life," the post said.
Six people, including students, were injured in the attack and sent to a local hospital. They are all expected to fully recover, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare officials said.
Police have identified the suspect as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of a veteran Leon County sheriff's deputy. Officials say Ikner, a student at the university, opened fire near the student union around lunchtime, sending students running for shelter and barricading themselves in buildings around campus.
Campus police responded to the scene and shot Ikner, who was taken into custody and later taken to a hospital for treatment, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said. Investigators believe Ikner carried out the attack with his stepmother's former service weapon, which was found at the scene.
Shooter had Nazi, Hitler fascination
Screenshots of Ikner’s online history captured by the Anti-Defamation League and shared with Paste BN show the gunman was an active gamer who had a troubling fascination with Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
A profile photo for an online gaming account linked to Ikner shows a drawing of Hitler – recognizable by the mustache – with the word “Nein” in a thought bubble next to the infamous dictator.
For another online account, Ikner used the name “Schutzstaffel,” the name of the paramilitary group that started out as Hitler’s personal bodyguard and was eventually entrusted with leading the execution of the Holocaust.
“Neither one means anything in particular but they’re part of the broader story,” Carla Hill, a senior director of investigative research at the anti-hate group’s center on extremism, said of Ikner’s apparent fascination with Nazis. “It gives us a little more insight into what he’s thinking about and curious about.”
Hill said a team of about 20 researchers combed through Ikner’s activity after he was identified as the shooter.
Other troubling signs, according to the ADL, include internet searches of the terms “scientific racism” and “national confederate flag.” The ADL collected the screenshots showing the searches from Ikner's frequent livestreams.
Another account linked to Ikner used the symbol for Patriot Front, the leading White nationalist group in the U.S. that formed in the aftermath of the white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left a person dead, according to Hill.
“It’s just concerning,” said Hill. “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.”
Charges announced, shooter to spend ‘significant’ time in hospital
Among the people sent to the hospital in the wake of the shooting was gunman Phoenix Ikner.
Tallahassee Police Department Chief Lawrence Revell said officers had responded and taken down the gunman within minutes of the first shot ringing out at 11:56 or 11:57 a.m.
Ikner “did receive significant injuries” when he was taken down by law enforcement and will require “a significant amount of time” in a local hospital, the Florida police chief said.
“Once he is released from that facility, he’ll be taken to a local detention facility, where he will face the charges up to and including first-degree murder,” Revell said.
Revell also released more details about Ikner, saying there didn’t appear to be any connection between himself and the people he shot.
– Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat
FSU mourns: 'You're not alone'
Florida State University students, faculty, and community members gathered for a vigil Friday to honor victims of the shooting on campus. Vigil planners expected a crowd of over 2,000 people to attend.
“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,” said university president Richard McCullough, choking back tears. “All those feelings are normal. There’s no right response to tragedy. But I want to be clear — you’re not alone.”
"We are here for you. FSU is a family. We grieve together, we remind ourselves that we belong to a community that deeply loves Florida State University and shows up at hard times."
All classes at the Tallahassee campus were canceled for April 18 and all athletic events were canceled through April 20 as the investigation continues.
Victim's family hires attorney to hold those responsible 'to account'
Chabba’s family hired national civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers of The Strom Law Firm and Jim Bannister to represent them. In a news release, the attorneys said they were hired “to ensure that all those who bear responsibility for this senseless act of violence are held to account.”
“Tiru Chabba’s family is going through the unimaginable now,” Sellers said. “Instead of hiding Easter eggs and visiting with friends and family, they’re living a nightmare where this loving father and devoted husband was stolen from them in an act of senseless and preventable violence.”
The lawyers also asked the public to keep the family in their thoughts and prayers “as we fight to ensure they see justice that honors the memories of Mr. Chabba and all the victims of Thursday’s shooting.”
Tallahassee police release timeline of FSU shooting
Phoenix Ikner waited in an FSU parking garage for nearly an hour before going on a shooting rampage that lasted less than five minutes, a new timeline released by the Tallahassee Police Department shows.
At 11 a.m. on April 17, Ikner arrived at the garage. He stayed in the area for a while, moving in and out of the vehicle.
At 11:51 a.m., he left the parking lot. Between five and six minutes later, the first shot was fired, police said. “Ikner walks in and out of the buildings and green spaces, firing a handgun,” police said.
By 11:58 a.m., multiple 911 calls reported a male was actively shooting on campus. At the same time, nearby police officers began responding. By noon, the threat was over. “The suspect is shot by responding officers and taken into custody,” police said.
Suspect practiced shooting with his stepmom, a longtime sheriff's deputy
Jessica Ikner, a school resource deputy, previously brought her stepson, Phoenix Ikner, to a firing range to practice shooting, Leon County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Shonda Knight told the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the Paste BN Network.
Knight said the shooting practice "was not in an official capacity" and was to make sure "he knew the proper handling of a weapon for safety purposes."
Ikner, a beloved Raa Middle School student resource deputy, was law enforcement officer of the year in 2023 for the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
Since the shooting, Ikner requested personal leave, which the sheriff's office granted, Knight said. She will also be reassigned from the school to the property crimes division due to the “sensitivity of the matter and to make sure she is properly acclimated under the circumstances,” Knight said.
– William Hatfield
Friends describe Morales as a 'great guy' and 'family man'
Aside from his dining service work, Morales was a long-time special teams coach for Leon High School’s football program and a partner in local favorite Gordos Cuban Cuisine.
"He was a trusted coach, a respected colleague, and a cherished friend to many" the school's athletic department said in a statement. "The loss of Coach Morales is felt deeply by all of us at Leon High School, especially during this difficult and tragic time."
Gordo's owner, Eddie Argamonte, told the Tallahassee Democrat, "While it has been a long time since we worked together, my heart breaks for all the family and friends of Robert Morales."
Current Lions Athletic Director and former assistant football coach Riley Bell coached with Morales and he described him as a having a "big heart." He said Morales spent about six to eight years with the program and was a "valuable" member of the team.
“A great guy. Good heart, family man,” Bell said. “Just full of energy and very happy."
– Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat
‘A punch in the gut,’ says former Parkland mayor
Florida state Representative Christine Hunschofsky was mayor of Parkland, Florida, when a shooter killed 17 people at the city’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. News of the shooting in Tallahassee broke on Thursday when she was about to present a bill expanding school safety measures enacted in the wake of Parkland.
Another official interrupted her to say that there was a “law enforcement incident” at FSU and to avoid the campus.
“I can’t believe this is happening again,” Hunschofsky said she thought as she stood at the lectern. The news hit the Democratic representative “like a punch in the gut.”
Video footage of the meeting shows a subdued Hunschofsky softly speaking, straining not to get emotional.
She asked lawmakers to support allowing county sheriffs to train school guards for private schools. It passed out of committee unanimously.
“The trauma everybody is going through breaks my heart,” Hunschofsky said in an interview. “If it is not dealt with, it will become a long-term problem.”
– James Call, USA Today Florida Network
Records: Phoenix Ikner changed his name after parents' custody battle
Court records reviewed by the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the Paste BN Network, show Phoenix Ikner legally changed his name after his parents split and his mother took him to Norway against court orders, an incident he later described as “tragic."
He was born Christian Gunnar Eriksen, the son of a Tallahassee man and a Miami woman who had dual Norwegian citizenship. The couple lived together with their son for more than three years before splitting. In 2015, his mother took her son to Norway against court orders and was later arrested and sentenced to 200 days in jail on a charge of removing a minor from the state during a custody proceeding.
“Beginning around 2017 he decided he wanted a fresh start in his life and a new name was part of that fresh start,” Administrative Magistrate James Banks wrote in a report recommending the name change. “He chose the name Phoenix because of its representation of rising from the ashes anew and the name of Ikner because that is his father’s name.”
The magistrate said that Ikner “attended counseling to help him cope with these past events.” His mother did not approve of the name change, leading to more court clashes between Ikner's parents. In October 2020, Leon Circuit Judge J. Layne Smith adopted the magistrate's report, making the name change official.
Florida State University to host vigil for victims Friday
The university plans to hold a vigil for the victims at 5 p.m. April 18, at Langford Green in front of the university's football stadium.
All classes on the main Florida State University campus were canceled Friday, and people were advised to avoid the student union and other nearby buildings as investigations continue.
FBI opens tip line, begins receiving information on FSU shooting
The FBI has set begun receiving information about the mass shooting at FSU through a digital tip line.
"The FBI does not typically release investigative details, like tips or leads, however we can confirm that information is being received via the digital media tips page at www.fbi.gov/fsushooting, and each tip is being thoroughly reviewed and vetted for authenticity," the bureau's Jacksonville office said in a statement.
Anyone with video or audio media related to the incident, can upload it here.
'We're all together in this'
In the hours after the shooting, students, faculty and others mourned together at a makeshift memorial on a sidewalk not far from where the rampage took place. Eddie Burnham, a first-year student and finance major, was among those drawn back to the scene after barricading in a building earlier in the day. He left flowers and a Seminole flag.
“I just want to just display Seminole pride,” the 18-year-old Burnham said with tears streaming down his cheeks. “We're all Seminoles, we're all together in this. We're all going to uplift each other and we're all going to get through this tough time together.”
FSU junior Hayden Tyler was in her apartment during the shooting, but feared for her sister, also a student at the university and hunkering down in a classroom for hours. Even though Tyler’s sister was safe, she was still moved to bring flowers and pray. “You didn’t have to know the people to feel for them,” Tyler said.
– Mollye Barrows and Brittany Misencik, the Pensacola News Journal
Florida State University president: 'We are heartbroken'
Florida State University President Richard McCullough said in a statement that he is mourning the victims of the deadly mass shooting.
Today, we experienced a tragic and senseless act of violence at the heart of our campus," McCullough wrote in a post on X, adding, "We are heartbroken. We are grieving with the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were lost. We are holding close those who are injured, and we are standing by everyone who is hurting."
What happened at FSU
The gunman began firing near the student union building at about 11:50 a.m. on April 17, authorities said. Within minutes, a massive law enforcement response was heard around downtown Tallahassee as officers raced to the scene.
FSU sent a text to the campus community warning of an active shooter. "Continue to seek shelter and await further instructions. Lock and stay away from all doors and windows and be prepared to take additional protective measures," the text said.
Campus police arrived "almost immediately" and shot the suspect when he didn't respond to commands to surrender, Revell said.
The suspect "remains hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries," Revell said on April 17. "As of this evening, the crime scenes have been processed."
FSU students describe chaos, fear during shooting
Will Schatz, an FSU senior, was in the Strozier Library on campus about noon with friends when he saw people running. He ran with them, exiting the back of the library at West Call Street and Dewey Street.
"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," Schatz told the Tallahassee Democrat.
He called his mother right after he got out of the library to tell her he was OK and what happened. Since then, he said he saw four students loaded into ambulances and taken away.
Swartz, the student who hid in the student union basement, and Sean Gulledg described relying on knowledge active shooter training when they set up their makeshift barricade. It took about 10 minutes for them to be found by law enforcement, but it felt a lot longer, Gulledg said.
"I remember learning to do the best you can to make them take time because they don’t want to do anything that takes time, they’re just trying to get as many people,” Swartz said.
Gulledg, a resident assistant, said they train for these situations, but never thought they’d have to use them. “I trusted the training,” he said.
FSU junior Angel Dejesus said his class hid in a smaller room within the classroom he was in with the doors locked at the College of Business building adjacent to the student union.
Dejesus said he was studying for a final exam that he had in an hour trying to drown out the chaos, but it got “much more serious” when a student who lived through the Parkland shooting entered the room.
“He was like, ‘Man, I never thought this would happen again,’“ Dejesus said.
Handgun belonged to suspect's stepmother, a deputy
Authorities said Ikner used a handgun that was formerly his stepmother's service weapon. Police officials previously described her as Ikner's mother.
When she received a new weapon to use in work duties, the old one became a "personal handgun," Revell said.
A shotgun was also found, but it wasn't immediately clear if it was also used, officials said.
Ikner's stepmother was a longtime deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office and had worked there for 18 years, said Sheriff Walt McNeil. Ikner had also been a member of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Youth Advisory Council, McNeil said.
“He has been steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family, engaged in a number of training programs that we have,” the sheriff said. “So it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.”
Who is Phoenix Ikner? Suspect espoused radical ideas
The news that Ikner was the suspected gunman horrified people who knew him, but they said they weren't shocked given things he had said publicly.
“I got into arguments with him in class over how gross the things he said were,” Lucas Luzietti, a politics student who shared a class with Ikner at Tallahassee Community College before he transferred, told Paste BN.
According to the Florida native, Ikner touted right wing conspiracy theories and hateful ideas. Few students, if any, were close to Ikner, although he spoke with the professor regularly after class, Luzietti told Paste BN.
“I remember thinking this man should not have access to firearms,” Luzietti said. But, “What are you supposed to do?"
Ikner was quoted in an FSView/Florida Flambeau this January reacting to a Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) march on campus. “These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons,” said Ikner, a political science major. “I think it’s a little too late, (Trump is) 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.”
Contributing: Michael Loria, Paste BN