Leon County Court records show that the biological mother at Florida State University allegedly invited him in 2015 when he was 11 years old and traveled with him in violation of his custody agreement.
The FSU student, now 20, is accused of firing on campus on Thursday, killing two people, five of whom were injured by bullets, one of whom is accused of being injured while fleeing the shooting. They are currently undergoing treatment for their injuries.
His biological mother, Anne Mari Eriksen, told Ichner’s father in a March 2015 email that she had taken him to South Florida for spring break, but she “flew the country with him in violation of their custody agreement,” affidavit filed by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
The affidavit also states that Ichner, born to Christian Gunnar Eriksen before he legally changed his name, has developmental delays and special needs. His father was afraid that if he was taken outside the United States he would not give proper attention.
Details about Florida shooting suspect Phoenix Echner appear as the motive remains mysterious
Phoenix Echner has been identified as a suspect in the shooting. (@ikner2004)
For several days, Ichner’s father was not in contact with his son until he was eventually connected via telephone. Phoenix tells him that he and Eriksen are in Norway. As part of Eriksen’s custody agreement with Phoenix’s father, she was required to travel with her son abroad with at least 14 days of notice.
While in Norway, Ichner’s father called and emailed Eriksen, who has double-US and Norwegian citizenship. She has asked multiple times when she will return to the US with her son, court records show.
FSU shooter was identified and used the weapon of the deputy sheriff’s deputy mama in the murder: police
Police are working at the scene of the shooting on April 17, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida, near the Florida State University Student Union. (Photo: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images)
“The defendant refuses to provide an answer and will avoid the question by talking to her and what he will say with her [her son] I was doing it while in Norway,” the affidavit states.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office further claimed that by keeping Ichner in Norway for a long period of time, Eriksen kept her son to complete scheduled tests at school, as well as the appointment of a doctor for Ichner’s “some health and mental health issues,” including ADHD and growth hormone disorders, as well as medication protocols.
Florida State University shooting suspect: Who is Phoenix Echner?
A memorial for the victims of the Florida State University shooting was held on April 17th. (Pilar Arias from Fox News Digital)
“It was revealed through these emails in early April that the defendant had no intention of returning Christian to Tallahassee, and that she could at some point move to Miami,” the affidavit reads.
The same year, in August 2015, Eriksen filed a slander suit against Ichner’s father and stepmother Jessica Ichner, a deputy of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
Photo: Florida State University shooting campus
Law enforcement officials work on Florida State University campus after a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, USA on April 17, 2025. (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imaging Images via Reuters)
“The emotional and psychological harm done to minor children has been apparent for years, and with the need for counseling and the child is 11 years old, memories are affected by all defendants’ actions due to false claims against the mother and the alienation of the parent in the suit filed in Leon County.”
Eriksen demanded damages from Ikner’s University Fund, claiming he was a victim of psychological and emotional abuse.
Eriksen could not be immediately contacted for comment.
People will evacuate Florida State University campus on April 17, 2025, following a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, USA. (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imaging Images via Reuters)
The 20-year-old shooting suspect was injured by an officer responding Thursday afternoon, Thursday afternoon, according to Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Rebel.
Police confirmed that his mother was a sheriff’s deputy at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and believes that Ichner used his mother’s former service handgun to shoot the victim.
Evacuees will monitor law enforcement on Florida State University campus on April 17, 2025 after mass shootings in Tallahassee, Florida, USA. (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imaging Images via Reuters)
Click here to get the Fox News app
Jessica Eekner was a longtime member of the Sheriff’s Office Youth Advisory Board, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeill said at a press conference Thursday.
The president of Richard McCullough University issued a statement on Thursday, calling the shooting “tragic and pointless acts of violence.”
Greg Norman of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
