Tallahassee shaken as shooting at FSU affects the vicinity of lawmakers
Following the alert regarding the active shooter, Capitol police instructed lawmakers, staff, and reporters to remain inside the building, which is situated approximately three miles from the shooting incident.
TroibNews 
Tallahassee is still reeling Friday morning following a shooting at Florida State University on Thursday that left two dead and six injured.
The shooter, identified as Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old son of a Leon County deputy sheriff, opened fire on the Tallahassee campus, prompting a chaotic scene as students fled and leaving the nearby state Capitol — which was in the midst of concluding its regular legislative session — in a state of shock and mourning.
Soon after the alert regarding the active shooter was issued, Capitol police instructed lawmakers, staff, and reporters to remain inside the building, located about three miles from the incident. The entrances of both the House and Senate were closed, leaving only the main entrances to the Capitol accessible.
This alert coincided with a meeting of the House Education and Employment Committee, during which state Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who was the mayor of Parkland during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was set to present a school safety bill.
“The trauma that everybody will be going through breaks my heart,” she remarked during the committee session. “And I’m very grateful that we continue to prioritize school safety, making sure that our communities and schools are as safe as possible because this is heartbreak and loss and grief and trauma that stays with people forever.”
Following the unanimous passage of the bill, committee chair GOP state Rep. Jennifer Canady of Lakeland called for a moment of silence. Committee member state Rep. Fiona McFarland shared that she returned to her office to gather with staff "to share information or pieces of news."
“It was so powerful to sit with the FSU students and alums and parents who work with us in the Capitol as this tragic event played out in real time before us,” she reflected.
In Jacksonville, state Attorney General James Uthmeier scrapped a planned press conference, while GOP Sen. Rick Scott, who was in Boston for a speaking engagement at Harvard University, canceled and flew back to Tallahassee. He and his wife, Ann Scott, visited two of the shooting victims at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Scott, who was governor during a late-night shooting at the main FSU library in 2014 and signed the Parkland reforms into law, expressed his belief in the effectiveness of the legislation.
“I think we did the right thing,” Scott commented outside the TMH emergency center. “We focused on how we’re going to keep these kids safe. … I think we passed a good bill.”
Governor Ron DeSantis called for the alleged shooter to be “brought to justice” and lauded law enforcement for their efforts. His public schedule noted that he and first lady Casey DeSantis visited the hospital where victims were being treated. House Speaker Daniel Perez, an FSU graduate, characterized the shooting as “terrifying and every parent’s worst nightmare.” Some Republican legislators opted not to respond to reporters' inquiries, while others extended their condolences to the victims and their families.
Democrats highlighted the tragedy as a sign that more reform is needed, especially as some GOP lawmakers have advocated for fewer firearm restrictions. Not long before the shooting, the state House had passed a measure reducing the minimum age for purchasing firearms from 21 to 18, a reversal of part of the Parkland-era law. State Rep. Michelle Salzman, the bill's sponsor, chose not to comment.
State Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart of Tampa stated, "As a mother, I could not imagine what I would be going through right this moment if I was concerned about whether or not my child was one of those people in that union building."
“It's just incredibly overwhelming and frustrating the fact that this keeps happening and it doesn't lead to substantial policy change to make it better,” remarked Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, whose Orlando district was impacted by the Pulse nightclub shooting and a thwarted shooting at the University of Central Florida.
Many at the Capitol have experienced this trauma before. Logan Rubenstein, a legislative intern for Rep. Dan Daley and a junior at Florida State University, is a Stoneman Douglas alum. He chose to forgo class on Thursday morning in celebration of his 21st birthday and instead went to the Capitol. He recalled receiving a message in a group chat instructing recipients to “call 911,” which coincided with an alert about the shooting.
“I grew up in Parkland, and this is what it felt like,” he stated. “There’s now been a mass shooting at my high school and my college. No one should have to go through what we went through.”
In response to the tragedy during an executive order signing at the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said he would uphold the Second Amendment. “These things are terrible,” he noted. “But the gun doesn't do the shooting, the people do — it's a phrase that's used probably too often. I will tell you that it's a shame.”
Leadership from March for Our Lives condemned Trump’s response, asserting that “Florida deserves leaders who will finally prioritize our lives over gun industry profits.”
“Let’s be clear: ‘horrible things like this happen’ because Donald Trump cares more about gun lobby donations than the safety of America's kids,” co-founder and executive director Jaclyn Corin and co-founder and board member David Hogg explained. “Trump will only put his fist up in the air and fight if it’s him that gets shot, not you or your kids.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
The shooter, identified as Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old son of a Leon County deputy sheriff, opened fire on the Tallahassee campus, prompting a chaotic scene as students fled and leaving the nearby state Capitol — which was in the midst of concluding its regular legislative session — in a state of shock and mourning.
Soon after the alert regarding the active shooter was issued, Capitol police instructed lawmakers, staff, and reporters to remain inside the building, located about three miles from the incident. The entrances of both the House and Senate were closed, leaving only the main entrances to the Capitol accessible.
This alert coincided with a meeting of the House Education and Employment Committee, during which state Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who was the mayor of Parkland during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was set to present a school safety bill.
“The trauma that everybody will be going through breaks my heart,” she remarked during the committee session. “And I’m very grateful that we continue to prioritize school safety, making sure that our communities and schools are as safe as possible because this is heartbreak and loss and grief and trauma that stays with people forever.”
Following the unanimous passage of the bill, committee chair GOP state Rep. Jennifer Canady of Lakeland called for a moment of silence. Committee member state Rep. Fiona McFarland shared that she returned to her office to gather with staff "to share information or pieces of news."
“It was so powerful to sit with the FSU students and alums and parents who work with us in the Capitol as this tragic event played out in real time before us,” she reflected.
In Jacksonville, state Attorney General James Uthmeier scrapped a planned press conference, while GOP Sen. Rick Scott, who was in Boston for a speaking engagement at Harvard University, canceled and flew back to Tallahassee. He and his wife, Ann Scott, visited two of the shooting victims at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. Scott, who was governor during a late-night shooting at the main FSU library in 2014 and signed the Parkland reforms into law, expressed his belief in the effectiveness of the legislation.
“I think we did the right thing,” Scott commented outside the TMH emergency center. “We focused on how we’re going to keep these kids safe. … I think we passed a good bill.”
Governor Ron DeSantis called for the alleged shooter to be “brought to justice” and lauded law enforcement for their efforts. His public schedule noted that he and first lady Casey DeSantis visited the hospital where victims were being treated. House Speaker Daniel Perez, an FSU graduate, characterized the shooting as “terrifying and every parent’s worst nightmare.” Some Republican legislators opted not to respond to reporters' inquiries, while others extended their condolences to the victims and their families.
Democrats highlighted the tragedy as a sign that more reform is needed, especially as some GOP lawmakers have advocated for fewer firearm restrictions. Not long before the shooting, the state House had passed a measure reducing the minimum age for purchasing firearms from 21 to 18, a reversal of part of the Parkland-era law. State Rep. Michelle Salzman, the bill's sponsor, chose not to comment.
State Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart of Tampa stated, "As a mother, I could not imagine what I would be going through right this moment if I was concerned about whether or not my child was one of those people in that union building."
“It's just incredibly overwhelming and frustrating the fact that this keeps happening and it doesn't lead to substantial policy change to make it better,” remarked Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, whose Orlando district was impacted by the Pulse nightclub shooting and a thwarted shooting at the University of Central Florida.
Many at the Capitol have experienced this trauma before. Logan Rubenstein, a legislative intern for Rep. Dan Daley and a junior at Florida State University, is a Stoneman Douglas alum. He chose to forgo class on Thursday morning in celebration of his 21st birthday and instead went to the Capitol. He recalled receiving a message in a group chat instructing recipients to “call 911,” which coincided with an alert about the shooting.
“I grew up in Parkland, and this is what it felt like,” he stated. “There’s now been a mass shooting at my high school and my college. No one should have to go through what we went through.”
In response to the tragedy during an executive order signing at the Oval Office, President Donald Trump said he would uphold the Second Amendment. “These things are terrible,” he noted. “But the gun doesn't do the shooting, the people do — it's a phrase that's used probably too often. I will tell you that it's a shame.”
Leadership from March for Our Lives condemned Trump’s response, asserting that “Florida deserves leaders who will finally prioritize our lives over gun industry profits.”
“Let’s be clear: ‘horrible things like this happen’ because Donald Trump cares more about gun lobby donations than the safety of America's kids,” co-founder and executive director Jaclyn Corin and co-founder and board member David Hogg explained. “Trump will only put his fist up in the air and fight if it’s him that gets shot, not you or your kids.”
Camille Lefevre for TROIB News
