FSU shooting suspect's childhood included alleged family kidnapping abroad, custody fight: docs

The biological mother of Florida State University shooting suspect Phoenix Ikner allegedly kidnapped him in 2015, when he was 11, and traveled with him to Norway in violation of a custody agreement, according to Leon County court records.

The now-20-year-old FSU student is accused of opening fire on campus on Thursday, killing two people and injuring six others, five of whom sustained gunshot wound injuries, and one of whom was injured while running from gunfire. They are currently being treated for their injuries.

His biological mother, Anne-Mari Eriksen, told Ikner's father in a March 2015 email that she was taking him to South Florida for spring break, but she "allegedly fled the country with him in violation of their custody agreement," an affidavit filed by the Leon County Sheriff's Office says.

The affidavit also states that Ikner — who was born Christian Gunnar Eriksen before he legally changed his name — has developmental delays and special needs. His father feared he would not receive proper care if taken outside the United States.

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Phoenix Ikner has been identified as the suspect in the shooting. (@ikner2004)

For several days, Ikner's father had no contact with his son until they eventually connected via phone, and Phoenix told him that he and Eriksen were in Norway. As part of Eriksen's custody agreement with Phoenix's father, she had to give at least 14 days notice to travel with her son outside the country, which she apparently failed to do, court documents show.

While in Norway, Ikner's father called and emailed Eriksen, who has dual U.S. and Norwegian citizenship, multiple times asking when she would be returning to the United States with their son, according to court records.

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Police work the scene of a shooting near the student union at Florida State University on April 17, 2025, in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images)

"The defendant refused to provide an answer and would circumvent the question by talking about what she and [her son] had been doing while in Norway," the affidavit states.

The Leon County Sheriff's Office further alleged that by keeping Ikner in Norway for an extended period of time, Eriksen kept her son from completing scheduled testing in school, doctor's appointments and medication protocols for Ikner's "several health and mental health issues," including ADHD and a growth hormone disorder.

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A memorial for the victims of the Florida State University shooting was held on April 17. (Pilar Arias for Fox News Digital)

"It became clear through these emails exchanged in early April that the defendant had no intention of returning Christian to Tallahassee, and she mentioned possibly moving to Miami at some point," the affidavit reads.

That same year, in August 2015, Eriksen filed a slander lawsuit against Ikner's father and stepmother, Jessica Ikner, a deputy at the Leon County Sheriff's Office.

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Law enforcement officers work at Florida State University's campus after a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S., April 17, 2025.  (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imagn Images via Reuters)

"The emotional and psychological harm done to the minor child will be evident for years, and will require counseling, and given the child being the age of 11, will have memory impacted by the behaviors of all the defendants for the false claims done on his mother, and for the parental alienation of the close relationship of the minor child," the complaint filed in Leon County states.

Eriksen requested $80,000 in damages for Ikner's college fund, arguing that he was the victim of psychological and emotional abuse.

Eriksen could not immediately be reached for comment.

People evacuate Florida State University's campus after a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S., April 17, 2025. (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imagn Images via Reuters)

The 20-year-old shooting suspect was shot and wounded by responding officers Thursday afternoon after he refused to comply with commands, according to Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. 

Police confirmed that his mother is a sheriff's deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office and that they believe Ikner shot the victims using his mother's former service handgun, which she had kept for personal use after the force upgraded to new weapons. 

Evacuees watch law enforcement work on Florida State University's campus after a mass shooting in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S., April 17, 2025. (Alicia Devine/USA Today Network via Imagn Images via Reuters)

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Jessica Ikner was a long-standing member of the sheriff’s office’s youth advisory council, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said during a Thursday news conference.

University President Richard McCullough issued a statement on X Thursday, calling the shooting "a tragic and senseless act of violence." 

Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report.