FSU attack marks 6th mass shooting in Florida in 2025. What were the others?

A gunman opened fire near the student union of the Tallahassee campus of Florida State University on Thursday, April 17. Two people were killed and six injured, one critically, officials said, and a suspect has been taken into custody.

The shooter has been identified as Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student and the 20-year-old son of a Leon County Sheriff's deputy, according to Leon County Sheriff Walter A. McNeil.

"Unfortunately, her son has access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene," McNeil said. Ikner was also "a longstanding member of Leon County Sheriff's Office Citizen Advisory or Youth Advisory Council," he said.

This marks the sixth mass shooting in Florida so far in 2025 out of 81 in the United States, according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive , which defines "mass shooting" as incidents resulting in four or more people getting shot, not counting the shooter.

What happened in the FSU shooting?

According to Revell, the shooter opened fire near the student union at FSU. Two people, not students, were killed, he said, and six people were also wounded.

Ikner used a handgun, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell told the press, and was shot after refusing to comply with officers. A shotgun was also recovered, Revell said.

Revell said it was still an active, ongoing investigation with potentially hundreds of thousands of witnesses, but reiterated that Ikner acted alone and there was "no further threat" to the community.

When asked by a reporter if Ikner acted alone, Revell said, "The suspect invoked his rights not to speak to us."

Where did the FSU shooting happen?

Police did not give exact locations where people were shot, but Florida State University's Student Union, Bellamy, HCB Classroom Building, Rovetta A&B, Moore Auditorium, Shaw, Pepper, Hecht House and Carraway were all considered active crime scenes.

Are guns allowed on Florida college and university campuses?

No. According to Florida statutes, weapons and firearms are prohibited in any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms unless the person is authorized to do so.

How many mass shootings in 2025 happened in Florida?

Before the FSU shooting, there had been five mass shootings in Florida this year, by the GVA definition, compared to nine by the same time last year. There were 32 mass shootings in Florida in 2024.

• Jan. 19, Boynton Beach:A fight at a gathering leads to one person dead , five injured.

• Feb. 6: Quincy: Four people were shot,  two fatally, during the robbery of a gas station

• Feb. 18, Tampa: One man killed , three injured.

• March 26, Hallendale Beach:A mother and three children killed in what authorities called an attempted murder-suicide.

• April 13, Daytona Beach: One person killed , three injured.

How many people have been shot in the US in 2025?

According to the Gun Violence Archive, as of April 17, 2025:

• 4,064 people have died so far this year in the U.S., including 72 children and 276 teens

• 6,901 people have been injured, including 119 children and 693 teens.

• 108 law enforcement officers have been killed or injured

• Law enforcement officers have killed 399 people and injured 260 in officer-involved incidents

• 334 people were killed in self-defense

• 388 people died from unintentional shootings

• 186 people died in murder/suicide incidents

What is a mass shooting?

The GVA (and the  Congressional Research Service ) defines a mass shooting based on the number of people shot in an incident: four or more, not including the shooter. The GVA numbers — which have been disputed by pro-firearm organizations — may differ from the FBI or CDC as they collect data from 7,500 law enforcement, government and media sources, the site explains.

USA TODAY  defines  a mass shooting as an incident where at least four people are hit with gunfire. Mass killing refers to an incident in which at least four people are killed.

The FBI does not define "mass shooting" at all. The agency defines "mass killing" or " mass murder " as an incident in which four or more victims are killed by any intentional means, which may include gun violence.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU shooting is 6th Florida mass shooting in 2025