FSU shooting suspect Phoenix Ikner denied bond

FSU shooting suspect denied bond

FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers reports.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The 20-year-old man charged in a deadly mass shooting on the campus of Florida State University will stay behind bars.

A judge denied bond on Tuesday for Phoenix Ikner, who made his first court appearance since the April 17 shooting.

Pictured: Phoenix Ikner during his first court appearance.

Deadly mass shooting

The backstory:

Investigators say Ikner opened fire at FSU's Student Union on April 17.

Pictured: First responders on the scene of a deadly shooting at Florida State University on April 17, 2025.

Robert Morales, 57, and Tiru Chabba, 45, were killed. Six more victims were injured.

Law enforcement quickly confronted Ikner and shot him in the face when he didn't comply with orders. He spent weeks in the hospital undergoing multiple surgeries before being released on Monday.

Mugshot of Phoenix Ikner. Courtesy: Leon County Sheriff's Office.

Dig deeper:

Many details are still unclear, including Ikner's motive for the shooting. In the last few weeks, however, court documents have shed light on his past.

He had just transferred to FSU from Tallahassee State College and enrolled as a political science major. He also spent time training with law enforcement and serving on a sheriff's advisory council in the years prior to the shooting.

PREVIOUS: What we know about the FSU shooting suspect

Documents also state that Ikner was on medication for several issues, including a growth hormone disorder and ADHD.

Classmates have said that he was vocal about his extremist political beliefs and often made others uncomfortable.

Court records also show that when Ikner was 11, his biological mother took him to Norway in violation of a custody agreement.

In August 2015, Ikner's mother filed a slander lawsuit against Ikner's father and stepmother, with the complaint reading in part:

"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."

What's next:

Ikner faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder.

He is in custody at the Wakulla County Jail instead of Leon County because his stepmother is a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office, causing a conflict of interest.

In addition to being held without bond, Ikner is also not allowed to contact victims, their families or witnesses.

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The Source: This story was written with information from a court hearing on Tuesday, the Tallahassee Police Department and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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