ABC News – In the wake of the deadly shooting at Florida State University on Thursday, a portrait of the alleged gunman — the stepson of a local sheriff’s deputy — has emerged.
At least two people were killed and six others were injured when shots rang out near the Tallahassee institution’s Student Union, officials said during a press conference.
First responders shot the suspect on campus and he has since been hospitalized, officials said. He was taken into custody with non-life-threatening injuries, multiple law enforcement officials told ABC News.
The suspect was identified during the press conference as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner. At the press conference, authorities described Ikner as the son of Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Ikner. However, court documents indicate she is the suspect’s stepmother.
Sheriff Walter McNeil said Phoenix had access to one of his stepmother’s personal weapons, which was one of the weapons found at the scene. He had a handgun and a shotgun with him at the time of the shooting, officials said.
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Jessica Ikner has been a deputy with the department for more than 18 years and “her service to this community has been exceptional,” McNeil said.
McNeil added that the 20-year-old suspect was also a “long-standing member” of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office’s Youth Advisory Council. Phoenix had been “steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family,” McNeil said, adding, “It’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons,” he added.
Suspect was once at center of international child custody dispute
Ikner was previously at the center of a protracted battle between his parents that featured a custody dispute stretching from the Florida panhandle to Norway, according to court documents …
[SKIPPING AHEAD TO THE KEY ELEMENT OF THIS STORY, BURIED IN THE 13TH PARAGRAPH OF ABC’S REPORT] …
The sheriff’s affidavit said [Phoenix Ikner] was on medication for “several health and mental issues, to include a growth hormone disorder and ADHD” …
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