Grand jury indicts Florida State student accused in a mass shooting on campus

TALLAHASSEE Fla AP A grand jury has indicted a Florida State University attendee on murder charges for the killings of two people and the wounding of six others in a mass shooting on campus last month The indictment disclosed Wednesday divulged new details of how -year-old Phoenix Ikner allegedly carried out the attack that terrorized the university and Florida s capital city Jurors described the rampage as our public s worst nightmare but concluded the rapid response of law enforcement cut short the violence according to a grand jury description obtained by The Associated Press The grand jury also determined that the officer who shot and wounded Ikner acted lawfully and heroically Wednesday s indictment came a day after Ikner made his first appearance in court since the April shooting Jessica Yeary the residents defender assigned to Ikner s event did not respond to a request for comment from AP Ikner who investigators have identified as the stepson of a local sheriff s deputy is being held without bond under orders that he have no contact with the casualties and their families He has been transferred to a jail in neighboring Wakulla County which is standard procedure when an inmate is related to a Leon County deputy government noted After reviewing police body camera footage campus surveillance feeds and video recordings by observers the grand jury concluded that Ikner acted alone that the attack was slowed by a shotgun that failed to properly operate and that the violence was halted by a multiagency law enforcement response In roughly four minutes officers had confronted Ikner a political science scholar at Florida State shooting and wounding him according to Tallahassee police The grand jury highlighted the actions of FSU Police Officer Cody Poppell who drove his motorcycle toward the sound of gunshots as students fled around him Poppell shot at the gunman several times still astride his running motorcycle hitting Ikner once in the face the grand jury determined There is no question others would have died absent his actions the grand jury wrote of Poppell Speaking at a meeting Thursday of the board that oversees the state s university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues applauded the response of law enforcement Obviously tragic to have students shot and to have any loss of life But the quick response of the FSU campus police prevented this from being much much much worse than it could have been Rodrigues reported According to the grand jury s findings Ikner was armed with a shotgun and a handgun which was emblazoned with a sheriff s star and Leon County Sheriff s Office Investigators have identified that firearm as the former provision weapon of Ikner s stepmother Ikner stole both guns from his parents home jurors concluded taking the pistol from his father s bedside The grand jury described Ikner s selection of the casualties as totally random targeting men and women of various ages races and lifestyles All evidence suggests he merely needed to kill as countless people as achievable not that he was targeting any person or group the grand jury wrote The only consistent trait of each victim was their innocence To date the jurors determined that Leon County Schools had no history of mental soundness or behavioral referrals indicating Ikner as a threat Likewise Tallahassee State College which Ikner previously attended had no disciplinary referrals or reports on file of Ikner making threats against other students FSU also has no record of Ikner seeking mental robustness counseling being stated for violent comments or facing disciplinary referrals jurors determined Court records show Ikner s arraignment is scheduled for June