What we know about the Florida State University shooting suspect

The suspect accused of gunning down two people and injuring five others at Florida State University spent time training with law enforcement and serving on a sheriff’s advisory council in the years before his alleged attack, authorities say.

The suspect accused of gunning down two people and injuring five others at Florida State University on Thursday is the son of a local sheriff’s deputy, authorities say, and spent time training with law enforcement and serving on a sheriff’s advisory council in the years before his alleged attack. When he was taken into custody, Phoenix Ikner, 20, was carrying a handgun that used to be the service weapon of sheriff’s deputy Jessica Ikner, according to officials and records. A review of court records show Phoenix Ikner had a tumultuous childhood, with another woman — identified in the documents as his biological mother — accused of removing him from the US in violation of a custody agreement when he was 10 years old. Sheriff Walter McNeil told reporters that the suspect was “steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family and engaged in a number of training programs that we have, so it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.” Jessica Ikner has served at the sheriff’s department for more than 18 years, McNeil said, adding that “her service to this community has been exceptional.” She did not respond to a request for comment. Phoenix Ikner was a member of the sheriff’s Youth Advisory Council, which is designed to “provide an open line of communication between the youth of Leon County and local law enforcement,” according to a news release from 2021. McNeil described him as a “longstanding member” of the council.