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The 20-year-old man accused of killing two and injuring six others in an April 17 mass shooting on Florida State University’s campus has been indicted by a grand jury.
Phoenix Ikner was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder charges and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, according to WTXL ABC 27.
The members of the grand jury reportedly described the shooting as “our community’s worst nightmare.”
Law enforcement officers work at the Florida State University campus after a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, on April 17, 2025. (Alicia Devine/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images via REUTERS)
Further details about the mass shooting were released in the indictment, including information about an FSU police officer who drove directly toward the danger on his motorcycle.
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That officer was identified as Cody Poppell, and the indictment reportedly said that he confronted Ikner amid the shooting and fired several shots at him, including one that struck him in the face.
The grand jury also said that Ikner used a shotgun and .45 caliber pistol stolen from his parents’ home to terrorize the college campus.
The deceased victims have been identified as Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba.
Phoenix Ikner, 20, was booked on first-degree murder charges and related counts Monday after he was released from the hospital where he had been since the mass shooting on the Florida State University campus on April 17. (Leon County Sheriff’s Office)
Chabba’s family reportedly released a statement through their attorney following the indictment.
“Our hope is that, through the thorough and transparent investigation and prosecution of the events surrounding last month’s shooting, today’s court appearance will mark the first steps toward closure for a family that suffered so much,” the statement said.
Ikner spent weeks in the hospital recovering from a jaw injury following the shooting, and had his first court appearance online upon his release earlier this week.
People evacuate the Florida State University campus after a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, on April 17, 2025. (Alicia Devine/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images via REUTERS)
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY ALLEGED MASS SHOOTER APPEARS IN MUGSHOT WITH DISFIGURED FACE AFTER HOSPITAL RELEASE
He appeared before Circuit Court Judge Monique Richardson in Leon County, Florida. The judge found Ikner to be indigent and appointed him a public defender, Randall Harper.
He is being held without bond in the Wakulla County Detention Facility, which is standard protocol because his stepmother is a Leon County Sheriff’s deputy.
Florida State University students wait for news amid an active shooter incident at the school’s campus in Tallahassee, Florida, on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Kate Payne)
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Tallahassee Chief of Police Lawrence Revell released a statement before Ikner’s first court appearance.
“In any case, especially one of this magnitude, the Tallahassee Police Department has the highest commitment to justice, transparency and the safety of our community,” the statement said. “We are grateful for the work of our detectives, officers, medical personnel and partner agencies who helped bring us to this point.”
Digital reached out to Ikner’s attorney for comment.
