Florida State alum and LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka is among many grieving Thursday’s tragic shooting at the school’s Tallahassee campus.
‘My heart is broken reading the news,’ Koepka wrote on X. ‘Praying hard for my whole FSU family and Tallahassee.’
A shooter identified as Phoenix Ikner, 20, is accused of killing two and injuring six others Thursday at the FSU campus. Officials said his mother is Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Ikner, adding that he had ‘access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene.’
Leon County Sheriff McNeil said at the press conference the gunman was a member of the department’s youth set-up and was involved in training programs, and described him as ‘steeped in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office family.’
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said the gun was previously used by his mother for law enforcement, but was her private handgun at the time of the shooting, because deputies ‘are allowed to purchase the handgun they used prior.’
Many others shared Koepka’s sorrow online.
Florida State alum and LIV Golf star Brooks Koepka is among many grieving the FSU shooting
Law enforcement is seen on Florida State’s Tallahassee campus amid frightened evacuees
A shooter identified as Phoenix Ikner (pictured) is accused of killing two and injuring six others Thursday at FSU. Officials said his mother is Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Ikner
‘Stay safe Nole family,’ is one of many similar messages posted on X in the wake of Thursday’s shooting.
Another added: ‘This really hurts man.’
A few commenters launched into a gun-control debate in response to Koepka’s post.
‘Also advocate for common sense gun laws otherwise this will keep happening,’ one follower wrote.
Others took a different path to the same debate.
‘It is illegal to carry a firearm on a college campus in Florida,’ wrote one commenter. ‘And we all know gun control laws work so…..’
Koepka was a three-time All-American with the Seminoles before turning pro in 2012. Since then he’s won 21 professional events on the LIV, PGA, European and Challenge Tours. He’s also a five-time major winning, capturing two PGA Championships and a pair of US Open wins.
Authorities said that a total of two people were killed and six were injured, with Ikner also shot and injured during the altercation. He is in custody in hospital.
Social media was flooded with sickening footage and images as panic set in, including one showing a victim being carried to safety on the shoulders of paramedics.
Cowering students shared videos hiding under desks, as authorities continue to urge anyone in the area to remain away from the area and stay inside.
A witness on the scene told WFTV they saw a college-aged man exit the student union with a handgun, and another witness told the Tallahassee Democrat that they’d heard what sounded like ‘automatic gunfire.’
