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Fox News
16-05-2025
- Fox News
Suspected FSU campus shooter indicted on murder charges for allegedly killing 2, injuring 6
The 20-year-old man accused of killing two and injuring six others in an April 17 mass shooting on Florida State University's campus has been indicted by a grand jury. Phoenix Ikner was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder charges and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, according to WTXL ABC 27. The members of the grand jury reportedly described the shooting as "our community's worst nightmare." Further details about the mass shooting were released in the indictment, including information about an FSU police officer who drove directly toward the danger on his motorcycle. That officer was identified as Cody Poppell, and the indictment reportedly said that he confronted Ikner amid the shooting and fired several shots at him, including one that struck him in the face. The grand jury also said that Ikner used a shotgun and .45 caliber pistol stolen from his parents' home to terrorize the college campus. The deceased victims have been identified as Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba. Chabba's family reportedly released a statement through their attorney following the indictment. "Our hope is that, through the thorough and transparent investigation and prosecution of the events surrounding last month's shooting, today's court appearance will mark the first steps toward closure for a family that suffered so much," the statement said. Ikner spent weeks in the hospital recovering from a jaw injury following the shooting, and had his first court appearance online upon his release earlier this week. He appeared before Circuit Court Judge Monique Richardson in Leon County, Florida. The judge found Ikner to be indigent and appointed him a public defender, Randall Harper. He is being held without bond in the Wakulla County Detention Facility, which is standard protocol because his stepmother is a Leon County Sheriff's deputy. Tallahassee Chief of Police Lawrence Revell released a statement before Ikner's first court appearance. "In any case, especially one of this magnitude, the Tallahassee Police Department has the highest commitment to justice, transparency and the safety of our community," the statement said. "We are grateful for the work of our detectives, officers, medical personnel and partner agencies who helped bring us to this point."
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
FSU police officer shot school shooting suspect while 'straddling' his motorcycle: Officials
The Brief New details included in the indictment against the suspect in the Florida State University shooting have been released. A Florida State University police officer shot Phoenix Ikner, the 20-year-old suspect, in the face while "straddling" his motorcycle. The details describe a horrific 3 minutes and 3 seconds – the time between Ikner allegedly firing his first shot and when he was shot by the FSU officer, documents state. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida State University police officer is being credited by a grand jury with ending the deadly shooting threat 3 minutes after it began by shooting the alleged suspect in the face. New details regarding the April 17 shooting – timeline, the victims, the alleged suspect's movements, and FSU Police's response – were included in an unsealed grand jury indictment earlier this week. The accused gunman, a 20-year-old student and the son of a Florida sheriff's school resource officer, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. Two people were killed, and five others were hurt in the shooting. "There is no question others would have died absent his actions" Grand Jury indictment The indictment highlights the actions of FSU Police Officer Cody Poppell, who responded to the shooting, drove his motorcycle over a sidewalk and onto campus to get a better look at the accused shooter, and fired multiple shots to end the threat. "This was our community's worst nightmare. We are proud to host students of all ages and now the horror of a school shooting has fallen upon us. While the results are tragic, it could have been so much worse," the conclusion reads. "We have heard that our local law enforcement has specifically trained for this event. All our officers have a clear mandate: In the case of an active shooter, you must stop the threat immediately, no matter what the cost. This is what happened here." "We watched as Officer Cody Poppell drove his motorcycle towards the gunfire he could only hear. We watched the panicked students running past Strozier Linbrary, and yet he accelerated up the sidewalks so he could enter the space between Moore Auditorium and the Student Union. There, we could clearly see the gunman chasing and shooting at another potential victim. He stopped and shot several times while still straddling his running motorcycle. He struck him [the gunman] once in the face." "There is no question others would have died absent his actions." The indictment notes that other officers were nearby in close support, noting that the shooting stopped 3 minutes and 3 second after it began. FOX 35 reached out to FSU on Thursday for comment on Officer Poppell's commendation. The details in the indictment describe a terrifying 3 minutes. 11:57AM | Ikner parks an orange Hummer, registered to his dad, on a service drive north of Moore Auditorium and east of the student union. He steps out of the vehicle with a shotgun and points it at a student. The gun malfunctions. 11:57:24 | Ikner ditches the shotgun and grabs a .45 handgun and begins shooting. The suspect is seen on video running towards the Student Union. Two people have been shot. 11:58:22 | Ikner enters the Student Union via the east main entrance and runs across to the west main entrance. 11:58:36 | Ikner exits the west main entrance doors shooting at multiple people. He shoots and kills one person. Later identified as Tiru Chabba. 11:58:43 | Ikner runs left out of the west entrance and comes back to Chabba, who is dead, and shoots him again. 11:58:54 - 11:59:09 | Ikner runs after a group of people outside the bookstore and is actively firing shots. One person is shot. Ikner runs back towards the bookstore shooting at another person. 11:59:30 | Ikner enters the Student Union's west entrance and runs toward the food court. 11:59:42 | Ikner shoots and kills Robert Morales in front of Pollo/Brooklyn eatery. An arrest affidavit states Morales was shot in the back while running away. Ikner then shoots him again after he is on the ground. 11:59:54 - 12:00:05PM | Ikner chases another student through the foot court and shoots at her. This happens in front of Panda Express. 12:00:14 | Ikner chases people on the east side of the Student Union. 12:00:27 | Ikner is shot in the face and falls to the ground between Moore Auditorium and the Student Union. After being shot, Ikner was taken into custody where he identified himself to officers, the indictment and arrest warrants state. He was taken to the hospital where he stayed for several weeks to be treated. He was released and booked into the Leon County Jail on charges of murder and attempted murder. He was then transferred to nearby county's jail since his stepmom works for the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Officials previously said two guns had been found: a 12 gauge shotgun and a .45 pistol. The indictment alleges Ikner pointed the shotgun initially at a female student, but that the gun malfunctioned and did not fire. Ikner put the shotgun back in his vehicle and grabbed a handgun. Ikner allegedly took the shotgun and the handgun from his parent's house, the indictment said. Officials said the handgun belong to his stepmom and used to be her service weapon. After her department got new equipment, she was given the option to buy her gun, which she did. The indictment notes that Ikner is believed to have acted alone. It does not identify a specific motive in the shooting. "The victims were totally random. He shot men and women of various ages, races, and lifestyles. All evidence suggests he merely waned to kill as many people as possible, not that he was targeting any person or group. Th only consistent trait of each victim was their innocence," the indictment reads. The indictment also notes that there were no known warning signs ahead of the shooting. Both Leon County Schools and Tallahassee State College showed no signs of mental health referrals or treatment, according to the indictment. Ikner attended one semester at FSU and did not seek mental health counseling or receive a referral. There were also no reports of violent threats or concerning comments, the indictment reads. Ikner made his first appearance in court. He appeared via Zoom. Ikner did not speak. A judge ruled that he be held without bond. The Source The information in this article comes from the unsealed indictment and Grand Jury True Bill into Phoenix Ikner related to the April 17 shooting at FSU. Additional information was pulled from the arrest affidavit, Ikner's court hearing, and previous statements from FSU, Tallahassee Police Department, and Leon County Sheriff's Office related to the shooting.
