By Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags to be flown at half-staff through Monday to honor Florida State University.
On Thursday, a gunman killed two people near the FSU student union, and six people were hospitalized. Law enforcement has 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy, in custody.
Related: What we learned from 10 years from analyzing 10 years of shooting data.
According to edweek.org, it was the seventh school shooting in the United States this year.
According to gunviolencearchive.org, there have been 83 mass shootings in 2025. Gun violence has claimed the lives of 74 children under 11 years old, and 283 between the ages of 12 and 17 this year.
DeSantis ordered flags at half-staff “in memory of the lives lost in this tragedy and to recognize the bravery shown by the first responders.”
Thursday, DeSantis said that “this killer must and will be brought to justice to the fullest extent of the law,” calling it a “tragic attack.”
Authorities responded “almost immediately,” and “engaged, neutralized, and apprehended” the shooter, Tallahassee Police Department Chief Lawrence Revell said during a press conference Thursday afternoon, joined by officials from the FBI, FSU Police, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and university administrators.
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare said two patients from the shooting are expected to be discharged Friday, while three are in good condition and another remains in fair condition.
FSU canceled classes Friday and sporting events until Sunday.
Lawmakers and university officials from across the state have flooded social media with statements in support of the FSU community following the shooting.
