FSU Shooting Kills Two, Injures Six, Sparks Gun Policy Debate

A mass shooting at Florida State University's campus left two students dead and several injured, with the shooter identified as Phoenix Ikner, the stepson of a local sheriff's deputy. The incident deeply affected the FSU community, especially students and families with ties to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, as some survivors experienced the trauma of a school shooting for a second time. Students and teachers took creative measures to protect themselves, such as using chewing gum to cover windows and pretending to be dead to evade the shooter. The tragedy reignited debate over gun violence in America and prompted Florida politicians to highlight recent changes in state death penalty laws, which lower the threshold for capital sentencing in response to previous mass shootings. Survivors and community members expressed frustration at the recurrence of such tragedies and the enduring emotional toll. The event again underscored the prevalence and impact of mass shootings in the United States.