The shooter’s parent revealed they had not been in contact for years before he killed people and injured others during the recent Florida shooting.
Phoenix Ikner is the suspected gunman behind the deadly shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee on April 17, 2025. The attack left two people dead and six others injured.
Phoenix reportedly left a parking lot shortly before noon and opened fire minutes later. A 911 call came in at 11:58 a.m., and officers quickly responded, arresting the 20-year-old.
Following his swift arrest, more details about his past began to surface. His biological mother, Anne-Mari Eriksen, who lives in Tallahassee, shared that she had not seen him in years due to a long-standing custody dispute with his father.
In 2015, she was arrested for kidnapping after bringing her son back from Norway. “I was alienated from him,” she explained, adding, “I have been concerned for him in the past, but I would never have thought that.”
In her first remarks about the tragedy, Eriksen reportedly said she cannot talk about the shooting “without crying.” The worried mother recounted how she responded to the incident:
“When I heard what had happened, I was frantic, thought he might be the one hurt, and then when I found out it was him I just collapsed at work.”
Authorities are still working to uncover what led to the shooting. During a press briefing, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell described the law enforcement response as “massive” and “very quick,” highlighting the scale of the situation.
“We are working multiple crime scenes, and there are potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of witnesses,” he said. Revell added that Phoenix did not follow commands before being shot by officers, although he did not appear to fire at them.
Officials confirmed that first responders shot the suspect on campus before taking him into custody with injuries that were not life-threatening. He was armed with both a handgun and a shotgun, and one of the weapons belonged to his stepmother, Jessica Ikner — a longtime deputy with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Walter McNeil noted that Jessica had served the community for over 18 years and described her work as “exceptional.” McNeil also explained that her stepson had been deeply involved with the department as a “long-standing member” of its Youth Advisory Council.
“It’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons,” he said, pointing to Phoenix’s close ties with the law enforcement community. Since the attack, the police have identified the individuals who were killed. As previously reported, both victims were fathers with strong ties to the campus and local community.
On April 17, 2025, a shooting took place at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Two men were killed in the attack before the gunman was taken into custody. The victims have been identified as Robert Morales of Miami-Dade County and Tiru Chabba of Greenville, South Carolina.
Morales was a South Florida native and a well-known figure in Tallahassee’s food community. He was a Florida State University graduate and a longtime employee. He served as the university’s dining coordinator for nearly ten years.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has also held the role of CEO at Black Bean Food Group since 2004. He previously worked as an assistant football coach at Leon High School, just a mile from campus. Morales helped found Gordos Cuban Cuisine, a well-known restaurant in Tallahassee.
He often prepared Cuban meals and pastries for university staff and once worked closely with chefs to provide allergen-safe meals for a student with severe dietary restrictions.
Florida State University Vice President Kyle Clark said at a campus vigil, “He made our dining experience feel like home for every student, especially those from South Florida.” Clark added, “He didn’t just do the job. He lived the job.”
On the day of the shooting, Morales had planned to meet his longtime friend Carlos Cruz and Cruz’s son at the student union, something they did regularly on Thursdays. However, Cruz’s son stayed in his dorm that day instead.
Students hold a vigil near the scene of the shooting on April 17, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida | Source: Getty Images
Cruz, who has known Morales and his family for over 30 years, praised Morales’s passion for Cuban cuisine and his ability to grow Gordos into a thriving enterprise. “That passion for cuisine and Cuban food was just taken to the next level, because now here he is helping to run a multi, multi, multi million dollar operation and deciding who and what gets into the university,” Cruz said.
Celebrity chef Art Smith, who had worked with Morales, described him as “a lovely and joyful man. Full of joy and energy, very sweet.” His older brother, Ricardo Morales Jr., confirmed the tragedy on X. The post included throwback photos of Morales from his childhood.
In a later post, he shared more photos of his deceased brother. A GoFundMe page launched by friends and colleagues to support Morales’ family states that he leaves behind his wife, Betty Morales, and their daughter. As of April 19, more than $60,000 has been raised toward the $90,000 goal.
The second victim, Tiru Chabba, was 45 years old and a father of two. He lived in Greenville, South Carolina, and worked as a regional vice president for Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. He had been with Aramark for more than two decades and held several roles across operations and finance.
On the day of the shooting, Chabba was on campus in his capacity as a vendor employee. In a statement issued to People magazine, an Aramark spokesperson said, “We are heartbroken to confirm that an Aramark employee was among those killed at FSU yesterday in that senseless act of violence. We are absolutely shaken by the news.”
Attorneys representing Chabba’s family confirmed his identity and said they intend to hold accountable anyone responsible for the shooting.
At Friday’s vigil, Clark closed his remarks with a tribute to both men. He stated, “These two individuals were more than just names. They were deeply loved, and their absences leave a void that cannot be filled.”
The shooting was the sixth mass shooting in Florida this year and the 81st in the United States in 2025. The investigation into the attack is ongoing.
