The gunman who opened at Florida State University, killing two and injuring at least six others, is believed to hold 'white supremacist' views, his former classmates have claimed. This came as chilling video has emerged that shows suspected gunman Phoenix Ikner, a registered Republican, marching up and down the campus green before opening fire at fleeing students.
As Ikner continues to fire his handgun, one victim is seen lying bloodied in the grass. The disturbing video, which has now gone viral on social media, shows the shooter wielding a handgun and firing random shots as panicked students scream and scramble for safety on the Tallahassee campus of Florida State University.
Terror on Campus
Several other video clips circulated on social media appear to show an injured person lying nearby and later receiving medical help from responding officers. The videos add to the disturbing scenes of chaos and fear emerging from the university, where Ikner started firing indiscriminately at people near the student union just after midday on Thursday.
Police officially identified the shooter as 20-year-old Ikner during press conference on Thursday afternoon. It was also revealed that the shooter used one of his mother's weapons in the fatal shooting, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil confirmed.
In an interview with NBC hours after the deadly shooting, a student who had previously participated in a 'political round table' with Ikner said that he held "white supremacist" beliefs.
"Basically our only role was no Nazis — colloquially speaking — and he espoused so much white supremacist rhetoric and far right rhetoric as well," Reid Seybold told the outlet.
Seybold, who is the former president of the club, said he was forced to remove Ikner from the group because of his views and the way he expressed them. Seybold was inside a building next to the scene of the massacre and said he feared that he was "about to die" after he heard gunshots on the campus.
Used Mother's Weapon
Ikner, who is currently a student at Florida State University, got access to the weapons owned by his mother and carried one of her handguns to campus, according to McNeil. Authorities also found a shotgun with him during his arrest.
However, it's still unclear if it was used during Thursday's shooting. Some eyewitnesses said they saw Ikner open fire a weapon that looked like a rifle before switching to a handgun.
His mother was identified as Jessica Ikner, a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office. Authorities confirmed that her son had access to one of her weapons, which was later recovered from the crime scene.
McNeil said at a press conference that Ikner was a member of the department's youth programs 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 that the handgun used in the shooting was earlier used by his mother for law enforcement but was her personal weapon at the time of the shooting, given that deputies are allowed to "purchase the handgun they used prior."
Ikner is currently hospitalized and remains in police custody.
