TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida State Attorney’s Office released body camera footage, 911 audio and other evidence from the 2025 campus shooting at Florida State University, Local 10 News reported.
The April 17, 2025, shooting killed two people and left six others injured by gunfire. Body camera video shows officers rushing to the scene within three minutes of the first shot being fired and shooting the suspected gunman, identified as Phoenix Ikner, in the jaw.
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One officer can be seen riding his motorcycle onto campus and firing multiple shots at the gunman before dismounting the bike. Surveillance footage shows students fleeing the union, some running away as Ikner followed close behind them.
Leon County Sheriff Walter A. McNeil said Ikner was a “long-standing” member of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Youth Advisory Council and identified a LCSO deputy as his stepmother. .One of the guns recovered at the scene was his stepmother’s former service weapon that was no longer in use, Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said following the shooting.
Records obtained by WCTV show that Ikner conversed with ChatGPT to ask questions leading up to the shooting.
Ikner had been conversing with OpenAI’s chatbot prior to the shooting, asking for homework help and relationship advice. According to WCTV, the discussions do not turn toward violence until days before the shooting.
Ikner asked the chatbot multiple questions relating to the operation of firearms, the busiest times of the day on campus and the prosecution of other school shooters.
ChatGPT appeared to give thorough, informative answers to each question, including telling Ikner that the busiest hours at the FSU student union were between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The shooting occurred within that window, according to WCTV.
Ikner has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and two counts of first-degree murder. He faces the death penalty, according to WCTV.
Family members of one of the victims in the shooting has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating tragedy. After learning of the incident in late April 2025, we identified a ChatGPT account believed to be associated with the suspect, proactively shared this information with law enforcement and cooperated with authorities,” a company spokesperson told WCTV. “We build ChatGPT to understand people’s intent and respond in a safe and appropriate way, and we continue improving our technology.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also launched an official investigation into OpenAI.
“AI should advance mankind, not destroy it. We’re demanding answers on OpenAI’s activities that have hurt kids, endangered Americans and facilitated the recent FSU mass shooting,” Uthmeier said.
In previous discussions, ChatGPT referred Ikner to the 988 suicide hotline at least once.
