Latest news with #UnconqueredStatue
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘If any school can get through it, it's going to be us': Students trying to stay resilient
FSU students, faculty, alumni, and family packed the lawn in front of Doak Campbell Stadium for a vigil honoring the victims of Thursday's attack in the Student Union. A new memorial is growing around the 'Unconquered Statue' on the lawn. The statue depicts the spirit of Florida State University students. Students packed the lawn outside the FSU football stadium, some with flowers and lights, and everyone with heavy hearts as they leaned on each other for strength and comfort. 'I'm angry, you're angry, some of us are angry. Some of us are numb. I'm completely numb,' said FSU President Richard McCullough. President Richard McCullough says what started out as a typical spring day quickly became the worst day for Seminole nation. 'This is the kind of trauma that changes people, and it changes a place, but it does not define us. It does not define us,' said McCullough. Students are still trying to process the reality. 'I honestly didn't believe it at first. You always see this stuff on the news. But for it to actually happen is definitely a surreal experience,' said Jacob Mark. As students crowded the lawn and stood shoulder to shoulder, it marked the first step in healing. A process that won't be easy. It's also a journey where FSU wants students to know they're not alone. 'In the midst of something like this, I think it's important we keep fighting on,' said Jordan Stone. Students created a new memorial around the 'Unconquered Statue.' It's full of candles, balloons, teddy bears, and notes. Students say the definition of Florida State strong is just what the statue says: We're Unconquered. 'I really feel that today. I feel like it's something really hard to go through, but if any school can get through it, it's going to be us,' said Mark. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
CBS News
18-04-2025
- CBS News
FSU community holds vigil Friday after campus mass shooting: "We grieve together"
Florida State University students, faculty, and community members gathered at Langford Green on Friday evening for a vigil honoring the victims of Thursday's shooting on campus. The university-organized vigil began at around 5 p.m. local time in front of the Unconquered Statue, a symbol of strength and unity at FSU. "It was horrible what everyone on campus had to go through. No student should ever have to go through that," senior Eve McIver said. School officials said the event was meant to offer space for reflection, grief, and support following the violence that shook the campus the previous day. "All of us at Florida State are hurting," said FSU President Richard McCullough in a statement Thursday night . "But we grieve together, and we will heal together." The Student Union and surrounding buildings remain closed Friday and are still considered an active crime scene as investigators continue to piece together the events that unfolded around 12:01 p.m. Thursday. Authorities have not released additional details about the suspect's possible motive. Authorities told reporters the weapon used in Thursday's shooting by 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner was a former service weapon belonging to the suspect's stepmother, a Leon County Sheriff's deputy, which she now owned as a personal handgun. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare said Friday it was treating five victims and the alleged shooter. In addition to the official vigil on campus, smaller student-led gatherings are being planned off campus throughout the day as students search for a sense of peace and solidarity amid continued uncertainty. The university had canceled all classes and events for Thursday and Friday, and all athletic events in Tallahassee have been suspended through the weekend. The chaos and fear of Thursday's alert remain fresh in the minds of many on campus. Students described moments of confusion, panic, and desperate attempts to reach loved ones. For many, the vigil will be their first opportunity to begin processing what happened as a community. "After something like this, we need to be with each other," said senior Ava Arenado , who fled her classroom after learning of the alert. "Even if we don't know the victims personally, they're part of us. We're all part of this." University counseling services remain available for students in need of support at (850) 644-TALK. Law enforcement is still asking those with information, photos, or videos related to the shooting to contact 850-891-4987 or submit materials at . Classes are expected to resume Monday.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
All 6 Florida State shooting victims expected to make full recovery, hospital says
April 18 (UPI) -- All six people injured during a mass shooting at Florida State University are expected to make a full recovery, the hospital said Friday. The two people killed Thursday were not students and they haven't been identified by authorities. "They were all very very brave," Dr. Brett Howard, a general surgeon with Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, said about the victims. "There's the moment of shock ... but they were all able to talk to us." Phoenix Ikner, the 20-year-old Florida State student accused of the shooting at the state university in Tallahassee, was wounded during a gunfire exchange with law enforcement and remains hospitalized. Howard, who declined to say whether Iklner was at the hospital, appeared with about a dozen colleagues. The doctor said all of the victims were in surgery or stablized within an hour of their arrival at the trauma center, which is close to the shooting. They were all treated for gunshot wounds to their "extremeties," the chest and the abdomen. Three of the patients were to be discharged Friday and the conditions of the others improved. Dining worker died Family members identified Robert Morales, a long-time university dining worker, as one of the fatalities. The shooting was near the Student Union, where meals are served. "Today we lost my younger brother," Ricardo Morales Jr. posted X on Thursday night. "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." Robert Morales was attending a meeting with other university employees at the time of the shooting, the Miami Herald reported. He was an assistant football coach at Leon High School, where he served "with dedication, integrity, and a true passion for mentoring young athletes," the athletic department said. The victim is the son of Ricardo "Monkey" Morales, a Cuban American CIA operative and anti-Castro militant active during the Cold War. He was killed in a bar fight in Miami in 1982. During a 2021 radio interview in Miami, Ricardo Morales Jr. claimed that his father had ties to Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy. There is a growing memorial outside the Student Union, where people fled during the gunfire. Backpacks, glasses and notebooks were abandoned. School in mourning The Student Union and other buildings remain closed as law enforcement processed evidence from the crime scenes. The university canceled classes Thursday and Friday, and activities through the weekened. At 5 p.m., a school-wide vigil is planned at Langford Green, a grassy area on the campus. It is in front of Doak Campbell Stadium near the Unconquered Statue, which represents persistence, pride and glory, according to the school's website. "All of us at Florida State are hurting," FSU President Richard McCullough said in a statement Thursday night. "But we grieve together, and we will heal together." Eleven years ago there was a shooting at Strozier Library in which two people were injured. Those with video, audio or other information related to the incident, can send them to an FBI site. The accused shooter Phoenix Ikner is the stepson of a Leon County Sheriff's Office deputy, Jessica Ikner. The 18-year deputy was a school resource officer and "her service to this community has been exceptional," Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said during a news conference Thursday. "Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons found at the scene. We are continuing our investigation as to how that weapon was used and what other weapons perhaps he may have had access to," McNeil said. Phoenix Ikner was a member of the 2021-22 Leon County Sheriff's Office Youth Advisory Council as a high school junior. Ikner transferred this spring semester from Tallahassee State College to nearby FSU, where he was a political science major. Ikner was involved in an extracurricular political club a few years ago. Reid Seybold, an FSU student, told CNN he was asked to leave the group. "He had continually made enough people uncomfortable where certain people had stopped coming. That's kind of when we reached the breaking point with Phoenix, and we asked him to leave," Seybold said. Ikner, a registered Republican, attended a rally against Donald Trump on Jan. 17, three days before he became president again. "These people are usually pretty entertaining, usually not for good reasons," Ikner told the student newspaper, FSU News, at the time. "I think it's a little too late, he's [Trump] 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." In 2020, the suspect changed his name from Christian Gunnar Eriksen. He was a dual U.S.-Norwergian citizen like his biological mother. Ikner was involved in a custody battle. In 2015, he was taken by his biological mother to Norway in violation of a child custody order. Anne-Mari Eriksen was accused of telling his father, Christopher Ikner, that she was taking him to South Florida for spring break. The child was on medication for "several health and mental issues, to include a growth hormone disorder and ADHD," according to the affidavit. He was brought back to the United States with his mother, who was arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in July 2015. She later pleaded no contest to illegally removing a child from Florida. In October 2015, Anne-Mari Eriksen sued the father, stepmother and two other relatives for slander and libel on behalf of herself and her son. "The emotional and psychological harm done to the minor child will be evident for years, and will require counseling, and given the child being the age of 11, will have memory impacted by the behaviors of all the defendants for the false claims done on his mother, and for the parental alienation of the close relationship of the minor child," the lawsuit claimed. A judge dismissed the lawsuit seven months later.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
LIVE: FSU to hold vigils after campus shooting
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida State University will hold vigils Friday honoring the victims of the campus shooting. One vigil is scheduled for noon, and volunteers from Students Demand Action groups at Florida State University and Florida A&M will gather at Cascades Park. The vigil is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at Langford Green in front of the Unconquered Statue. 2 dead, 6 injured in Florida State University shooting, police say The university said it will have a support center available for the campus community from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday at the Askew Student Life Center. All classes and university-held events have been cancelled as officials continue to investigate the shooting. Students are also able to reclaim any belongings they left on campus between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today. Campus buildings are locked, but staff and volunteers will be on site to assist, and students will need an ID to claim any belongings. Police search for motive in deadly shooting at FSU FSU President Richard McCullough released a statement Thursday evening updating the community. 'Today, we experienced a tragic and senseless act of violence at the heart of our campus,' he wrote. 'Right now, our focus is on taking care of people.' Students and other community members began assembling a memorial on campus last night. The University is just a few weeks away from finals and the 2025 commencement ceremony, which is set to take place the first week of May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
FSU shooting live updates: Vigil set for Friday after 2 killed, 6 hurt in Florida State campus shooting
The Brief Florida State University will hold a vigil on Friday afternoon to honor the victims after authorities said a gunman opened fire on campus on Thursday, killing two people and injuring six others. The 20-year-old suspected gunman, an FSU student, was shot by law enforcement and taken to a hospital for treatment. FOX 35 News is providing continuing coverage from Tallahassee and will share new updates as more information is released. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A vigil is scheduled for Friday to honor the victims after a gunman opened fire on the Florida State University (FSU) campus in Tallahassee on Thursday, leaving two people dead and six others injured, authorities said. The suspected shooter, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student and the son of a Florida school resource deputy, was shot by law enforcement and transported to a hospital for treatment, officials confirmed. All classes at FSU have been canceled in the wake of the shooting and all FSU athletic events in Tallahassee have been canceled through Sunday. FOX 35 News is providing live updates from the FSU campus. Stay tuned to the video player above and check back for the latest developments. 9 a.m. | Two of the six victims transported to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare following the shooting are expected to be discharged today, a hospital spokesperson told FOX 35 News. Three other victims are reported to be in "good condition", while one remains in "fair condition", according to the hospital. "We are grateful for the outpouring of support for our emergency, trauma, and nursing teams," the spokesperson said. "We are honored to be the hospital providing care to these patients." What we know A vigil will be held on Friday at 5 p.m. to honor the victims of Thursday's shooting. It will take place at the Langford Green in front of the Unconquered Statue, FSU said. What we know Two people died from their injuries during the shooting on FSU's campus, according to investigators. Officials said those two victims were not FSU students. The six other victims injured in the shooting were all taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. At this point, little is known about the victims. Authorities have not released the names of who was injured or any details about whether they were known to the shooting suspect. What we know Phoenix Iknerwas a current student at Florida State University and also the son of a Leon County Sheriff's Office School Resource Deputy. He was challenged by law enforcement and shot after he refused to list to law enforcement commands, said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence E. Revell. The suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment, officials said, though the extent of his injury was not discussed. Officials said Ikner was armed with a handgun and also had a shotgun with him. Though it is not clear if he shot anyone with the shotgun. A handgun was recovered at the scene of the shooting, officials said. Ikner also declined to talk with law enforcement after he was taken into custody. He invoked his 5th Amendment right. Officials said the suspect's shooter has a long history with the Leon County Sheriff's Office and was a member of their citizen or Youth Advisory Council. Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeil said it was not surprising that he had access to guns or knew how to work them. In this case, officials said the gun was his mom's personal handgun. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by officials at a news conference held on April 17, 2025, at FSU where they provided the latest updates on the shooting, the suspect, the victims, and the investigation.
