Two people were killed and at least six others were injured during the horrific shooting at Florida State University on Thursday. The authorities identified the shooter as Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old who studied at the Tallahassee institution. Following the mass shooting, he was shot down by the police and taken to a hospital.
FSU shooter Phoenix Ikner previously went by the name Christian Eriksen
Phoenix is a part of the Leon County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) Youth Advisory Council. The weapon used by him in the shooting was identified as a former service weapon that belonged to his stepmother, Jessica Ikner, a Leon County Sheriff's deputy, per CBS News. According to the authorities, she was using the service weapon as a personal handgun after legally purchasing it.
The alleged shooter's father, Christopher Ikner, married Jessica in 2010. Two of his former classmates told the outlet that Phoenix previously went by the name Christian Eriksen amid legal turmoil between his birth parents. From 2007 to 2023, his birth mother, Anne-Mari Eriksen, was embroiled in a custody battle with his father.
ALSO READ: Who is Anne-Mari Eriksen, FSU shooter Phoenix Ikner's birth mother?
{{/usCountry}}ALSO READ: Who is Anne-Mari Eriksen, FSU shooter Phoenix Ikner's birth mother?
{{/usCountry}}In 2015, Anne-Mari filed a lawsuit against the couple and their other family members, accusing them of slander and libel. However, the case was dismissed in 2016, the same year Anne-Mari was “found guilty of removing her child from the state and failing to return him,” per the outlet.
Gemma Garcia, who attended middle school with Phoenix, shared a 2018 yearbook photo of him, in which the name under his photo read “Christian Eriksen,” per the outlet. Garcia attended the Swift Creek Middle School a grade below the suspect. The 19-year-old, who is starting at FSU next semester, further revealed that she saw the authorities responding to the scene during Thursday's shooting.