The suspect who fired Thursday at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Florida killed two people and injured six people on Thursday, was identified by law enforcement officials as the sheriff’s 20-year-old son.
Leon County Sheriff Walter McNeill identified Phoenix Echner as a shooter and said “it’s no surprise to us that he has access to the weapon.”
His mother, Jessica Ichner, is a sheriff’s aide in the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. She has been in the office for over 18 years and says McNeil has done “a tremendous job” in her own position. Over the course of her career, authorities said she served as the school’s resource officer.
McNeill said Phoenix Echner used his mother’s handgun in a shooting at FSU.
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Florida State University students will be awaiting news after an active shooter incident on the Tallahassee school campus on Thursday, April 17th. (AP/Kate Payne)
“Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, which was one of the weapons found on the scene, and we are continuing to investigate how the weapon was used,” McNeill said.
Phoenix Ecner was appointed to the Leon County Sheriff’s Office on August 17, 2021 as a member of the 2021-2022 Youth Advisory Committee and was established in 2020 to provide a public line between youth and local law enforcement agencies in Leon County, McNeill said.
The suspect’s mother, Jessica Ichner, has served with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office for 18 years. (Leon County Sheriff’s Office)
The council plays a role in advising sheriffs, but is also reaching out other teenagers in the county to inform existing opportunities, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He also develops advocacy, leadership and team building skills while completing community service times. Ultimately, members of the Youth Advisory Board will help them find ways to use this skill to address issues affecting the county.
McNeill described Phoenix Eckner as a longtime member of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Civic Advisory Board or Youth Advisory Board, who is “immersed” in the sheriff’s office’s families and is engaged in several training programs offered by the office.
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Law enforcement at the Florida State University (FSU) campus on April 17, 2025, after mass shootings in Tallahassee, Florida, USA. (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imaging Images via Reuters)
At about 11:50am on Thursday, Phoenix Ichner allegedly fired fire on FSU’s main campus, shooting several individuals near the Student Union building.
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Evacuees will monitor law enforcement at the Florida State University (FSU) campus on April 17, 2025, following a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida. (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imaging Images via Reuters)
When officers arrived, they were immediately involved with the shooter before shooting him dead and arresting him, police said.
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Florida State University students and faculty are waiting in a grassy area near the student union where the shooting took place. (Getty Images via ANA CEBALLOS/MIAMI HERALD/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE)
Police say two non-students have died and six others were taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds.
Phoenix Echner was also taken to a local hospital, police said.
Police said Phoenix Echner had evoked his right not to speak to authorities.
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“This event is tragic…but I’m going to tell you this: We’re going to do everything we can and send people a message that this will never be acceptable here in Leon County, and I dare say it all across the state and across this country.”
Brooke Curto of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
