FSU Student Describes Moment Phoenix Ikner First Opened Fire in Her Direction

Florida State University (FSU) student McKenzie Heeter appeared on NewsNation Thursday evening to describe the terrifying moment she spotted 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner allegedly shooting people on campus, leaving two dead and six wounded so far.

Around noon on Thursday, initial alerts from FSU’s X account were sent out to students at the Tallahassee campus, advising them to seek shelter as an active shooter had been “reported in the area of the Student Union.” Appearing on NewsNation’s “Cuomo” to recount her experience, Heeter said she had been walking out of “the Union” when she heard the first gunshot.

“I was walking out of the Union with my food for lunch, and I noticed an orange Hummer parked at this little service road near the Union,” Heeter said. “So as I’m walking, I walk right past the Hummer — right past the dude. I’m walking. I have one of my AirPods in, playing music. What caught my attention, I think it was the gunshot, the first gunshot he made with a shotgun.”

“I thought originally [it] was a rifle, but it turns out [it] was a shotgun. So he makes that shot in our direction and misses. That’s when he turns around and goes to the Hummer, and he grabs his pistol, and he shoots the lady walking in front of him. That’s when I knew that there was no target. There was no one specific. It was just anybody he could see,” Heeter added.

Read More: https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2025/04/17/it-was-just-anybody-he-could-see-fsu-student-describes-terrifying-moment-she-noticed-school-shooter/