FSU shooting suspect makes 1st appearance in court after weeks in hospital

 FSU shooting suspect makes 1st appearance in court after weeks in hospital

Phoenix Ikner was shot by officers minutes after the April 17 campus shooting.

FSU shooting suspect makes 1st court appearanceThe 20-year-old student who allegedly opened fire on the Florida State University campus last month, killing...Show more

The 20-year-old who allegedly killed two and wounded several others in a mass shooting on the Florida State University campus last month made his first appearance in court on Tuesday after spending weeks in the hospital.

The suspect, FSU student Phoenix Ikner, was shot and wounded by officers minutes after he allegedly opened fire on the Tallahassee campus on April 17, officials said.

Ikner was released from the hospital on Monday and taken to a detention facility on two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder, Tallahassee police said.

Phoenix Ikner is seen in this police handout.

City of Tallahassee Police Department

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He made his first court appearance remotely on Tuesday as victims watched the proceedings in person and on Zoom.

Ikner was held on no bond and is prohibited from contacting any victims, their families or potential witnesses.

Students hold a vigil near the scene of a mass shooting near the Florida State University student center, April 17, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida.

Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images

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Cellphone video from the day of the shooting showed 23-year-old graduate student Madison Askins lying on the ground while Ikner stood "with his feet shoulder width apart and his arms outstretched in front of him," according to the probable cause affidavit released Tuesday.

"After Ikner takes this stance, three gunshots can be heard in succession" and then Ikner fled, the document said.

Askins was shot and survived.

Police investigate the scene of a shooting near the student union at Florida State University on April 17, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images

Video also showed Ikner allegedly chasing and shooting 45-year-old Tiru Chabba, according to the probable cause affidavit. Ikner then allegedly returned to Chabba and shot him again as he laid on the ground, the document said.

Chabba, an employee of campus vendor Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, died from his injuries.

A camera also showed Ikner allegedly running up behind Robert Morales and fatally shooting him in the back, the probable cause affidavit said.