Latest news with #PhoenixIkner
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
FSU students have plan to prevent campus shootings — after all, they lived through one
On April 17, 2025, a gunman entered the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee — our campus — killing two people and injuring six others. Phoenix Ikner, 20, an FSU undergraduate student from Tallahassee, is being charged with the murder of Coach Robert Morales— a local legend who coached high school football and had ties to Miami — and Tiru Chabba, a South Carolinian food service executive visiting FSU for work. A lack of gun control didn't directly cause this tragedy. Ikner used firearms that legally belonged to his parents; his stepmother is a Leon County Sheriff's deputy. While there is no single solution to prevent gun violence, a group of FSU students has developed a three-part proposal to mitigate the risk of school shootings on college campuses. We propose three legislative acts: the ACCESS Act, the ARMOR Act and the AGENT Act. ▪ The ACCESS Act addresses a long-standing issue for college students — access to mental health resources. College students are an especially vulnerable group when it comes to mental health. This act would create the Office of Mental Health Services to provide oversight and coordinate mental health resources across Florida's public university system. It would fund the hiring of more licensed mental health practitioners and train existing staff on specialized care. A portion of services would be provided by licensed professionals, with support from graduate students earning clinical hours. Of course, counseling alone cannot prevent all forms of gun violence. ▪ The ARMOR Act is designed to ensure that every classroom door on Florida's 110 public college campuses can be locked from the inside during an emergency. This simple yet crucial infrastructure upgrade could save lives by buying time during active shooter events. ▪ The AGENT Act is a more controversial but, we believe, necessary measure. It gives students the right to protect themselves from armed threats, like the one we faced in April. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Gun-Free School Zones Act to curb campus violence. However, in practice, this designation has turned campuses into soft targets — spaces where law-abiding citizens cannot respond to threats. The AGENT Act in accordance with federal statute, would permit campus carry of guns in Florida under tightly controlled conditions. It would not simply follow Florida's constitutional carry law. Instead, the AGENT Act would require a concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit, which involves a live-fire proficiency test. To carry on campus, students and staff would have to pass this test annually and undergo regular mental health check-ins through the new Office of Mental Health Services or an equivalent body on private campuses. Our bill is modeled on elements from Georgia and West Virginia's campus carry laws and includes important limitations. For instance, weapons would not be allowed in on-campus daycares to eliminate risks to infants and children. Similarly, areas with 'adequate security measures'— meaning locations with electronic screening and armed staff— would be exempt from carry permissions, as those spaces already have built-in protections. By combining mental health investment, safety-focused infrastructure upgrades and regulated campus carry, we believe Florida can make meaningful progress in protecting students. We, the students behind this proposal, urge the Florida Legislature to act. We also call on the public to demand meaningful change from their elected officials. We are looking for legislative sponsors and are meeting with Florida representatives and senators. Together, we can turn a tragic moment into a lasting transformation that protects the future of our state — and its students. Reid Seybold is pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science at FSU. Noah Brown is pursuing a master's degree in applied American politics. They can be reached at: TheAAASolution@
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Prepared to respond:' Duval County law enforcement conducts active shooter training in Mayport
When law enforcement authorities said 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner opened fire on Florida State University's campus earlier this year, killing two and injuring several others, it served as a reminder just how close to home the threat of an active shooter is for schools across Florida and in Duval County. 'Those officers did a great job that day, but it's another reminder of how close to home these things happen and how quickly they can happen,' Duval County Public Schools Police Chief Jackson Short said Thursday morning. 'So it's important that we take them seriously and that we are prepared to respond.' Thursday morning, for the fourth straight year, multiple law enforcement agencies across Duval County conducted active shooter drills in our area schools, to make sure they're prepared in times of crisis. 'They [were] tasked with not only locating the suspects, but also addressing them appropriately,' Chief Short explained. 'In addition, we [also had] students simulating victims that need different levels of first aid, so using concepts such as the rescue task force, which is a partnership between law enforcement and fire rescue, to get those trained medical personnel into the crisis site.' [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, DCPS Police Department, as well as Jacksonville, Neptune, and Atlantic beach police came together at Mayport Middle and Mayport Elementary Thursday morning, to coordinate the training exercise among beaches schools for the very first time. 'Those three beaches police departments, they work together constantly, they support each other constantly,' Chief Short said. 'Their borders touch each other and it's not uncommon for them to back each other up and back up the sheriff's office that patrols out here in Mayport. So we felt like this location was the perfect opportunity to bring all those agencies together.' During the summer break, police are asking parents and students to familiarize themselves with the student training for active shooter scenarios. You can find a link to those training videos on the Duval County Public Schools website by clicking here. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
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. Fsu Shooting: Sheriff's Office Speaks On Suspect's Past, Deputy Stepmother 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. Read On The Fox News App 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. Florida State University Alleged Mass Shooter Appears In Mugshot With Disfigured Face After Hospital Release 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." Fox News Digital reached out to Ikner's attorney for article source: Suspected FSU campus shooter indicted on murder charges for allegedly killing 2, injuring 6
CBS News
16-05-2025
- CBS News
FSU shooting prompts security review of Florida campuses, safety summit, officials say
After a mass shooting in April at Florida State University that left two people dead, officials plan to evaluate building security on campuses across Florida and hold a "safety summit" in October, university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said Thursday. Lockdown drills and security assessments planned Rodrigues told the State University System's Board of Governors that campus leaders will assess building security and the ability to conduct what he called a "lockdown drill." He said the goal is to complete assessments by the end of the summer to allow time for any related budget requests during the 2026 legislative session. "Specifically, we want to know if the doors can be locked from the inside, and if there are windows in the doors, can those be covered or protected?" Rodrigues said. October summit to focus on best practices The October summit will give universities an opportunity to share best practices and review the results of their safety assessments. "The goal there would be to identify what we can do to improve across each of our university campuses, as well as identify common concerns so that we will know if we want to make any policy requests of the Legislature for the 2026 session," Rodrigues said. The April 2025 FSU shooting Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student, faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the April 17 mid-day shooting that killed FSU dining coordinator Robert Morales and Aramark Collegiate Hospitality employee Tiru Chabba. Five students were also wounded. Ikner, who was shot by police during the incident, was released Monday from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and is now being held in the Wakulla County Jail. FSU campus police response praised Rodrigues praised FSU police officers for their swift response to the shooting and confirmed that all five wounded students have been released from the hospital. "I feel confident in saying the response of the FSU campus police in this situation was nothing short of amazing, and this could have been a much, much worse tragedy than it was," he said. "Obviously, tragic to have students shot and to have any loss of life. But the quick response of the FSU campus police prevented this from being much, much, much worse." Past lessons from Parkland massacre inform current efforts While it is too early to know what the new security assessments will reveal, Rodrigues noted that Florida has taken significant steps to improve school security since the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which left 17 people dead and 17 others injured. In the aftermath, lawmakers and then-Gov. Rick Scott enacted a package of school safety measures, and the Legislature has revisited the issue multiple times in subsequent years. The state also created the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to study school safety and make recommendations.
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."
