The son of a police officer has opened fire with her former service weapon at Florida State University (FSU), killing two people and injuring six others, authorities say.
The alleged gunman, 20-year-old FSU student Phoenix Ikner, began shooting at around lunchtime near the student union building in the state capital of Tallahassee.
The suspect was shot by police and taken to hospital. The motive is unclear. The deceased were not students, campus police said, but their identities have not been released.
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The suspect is the son of a veteran Leon County police officer who is a model employee, said Sheriff Walt McNeil. Jessica Ikner, a school resource officer, kept the gun after the force upgraded its weapons.
A shotgun was also found at the scene, police said.
The suspect was a “longstanding member” of the sheriff office’s youth advisory council and was engaged in a number of training programmes, Sheriff McNeil said.
“So it is not a surprise that he had access to weapons,” he said.
The suspect was a protester at a campus demonstration against President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, according to the student newspaper.
Deadly campus shooting: Two men, who were not students, were killed and five other people were wounded in a shooting today at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Officers shot the suspected gunman, who is now hospitalized. This is Florida’s sixth mass shooting this year.
• The suspect: Authorities identified the suspect as a 20-year-old FSU student and the son of a local sheriff’s deputy, and said they found a handgun that used to be his mother’s service weapon as they took him into custody.
• What it’s like on campus: Law enforcement officials say the campus is now secure and are asking students to stay away from active crime scene areas. All classes and school events are canceled through tomorrow, the school said.
