Vero Beach resident Barbara Schlitt Ford said her 21-year-old daughter, a senior at Florida State University, was in a science of nutrition class April 17 when she heard what turned out to be gunfire.
“Then they decided to barricade and the guys in the room barricaded the door and they all just took cover and they all were texting their families,” Ford said.
Ford and another Treasure Coast parent of an FSU student on April 18 shared their experiences following the shooting a day earlier that left two dead and others injured on the campus about a six hours’ drive from Port St. Lucie.
Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old FSU student and stepson of a Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy, was identified as the gunman who opened fire at the FSU Student Union. He was taken into custody after being shot.
Shari Sullivan, of Hobe Sound, said her son, Declan Sullivan, 20, is a sophomore double majoring in history and economics.
“He was at the student union with some of his friends like he usually does between classes, and he was leaving,” Sullivan said. “He left and 5 minutes later he heard gunshots.”
Sullivan said her son, whom she said was driving to Martin County April 18, ran to a nearby dorm and had to shelter in place for about three hours. She said he called her at noon but she couldn’t get to her phone.
“Then he texted his father and I that he was OK and I just was like, what are you talking about because I didn’t know that there was a shooting at that moment because it just happened,” Sullivan said. “Then we were just able to text with him for about three hours.”
Ford said her daughter, Lindsay Ford, had walked through where the shooting happened minutes earlier. Ford said her daughter, who did not wish to speak, was in a building next to the student union.
“She had just sat down in her class and opened her laptop basically when the gunshots were heard,” Ford said.
She said everyone was alarmed and asked what it was, and the professor thought it was construction.
“Then he went to the window and he said, no, there are people running,” Ford said, noting they decided to barricade the door.
After the gunfire, she said, her daughter heard screaming, and eventually, sirens.
Ford said her daughter texted her as she was at work.
“She said, there’s a shooter. I don’t know what’s happening. I love you,” Ford said.
Ford called police in Tallahassee to ensure it had been reported. She ended up calling 911 and being patched through to dispatchers in Tallahassee.
“I asked Lindsay what building she was in and what room, and then I gave that information to the dispatcher in Tallahassee, and they took all that information down, and they said that their understanding was that the shooter had been neutralized at that point,” Ford said.
Ford left work and went home so she could follow developments on the news and be available.
“It seemed like about an hour before they finally cleared their room, and she said the police came in and that part was kind of scary too, actually, because they were kind of yelling and saying, put your hands up,” Ford said. “Then they escorted everybody out quickly, and students didn’t know whether they were supposed to grab their backpacks or have their hands up, or both.”
Students are escorted out of the FSU Student Union after a mass shooting occurred Thursday, April 17, 2025. At least people were six hurt in a shooting on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla.
Ford said her daughter was escorted to a field where she remained for a long time.
“They did say eventually they could go, but the classmates were really just like sitting there in shock and kind of consoling each other and processing through it,“ Ford said.
Ford said her daughter left campus and returned home late on April 17.
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“I said, ’Are you sure you’re going to be up for that long drive?,’” Ford said. “She said, ‘Well, I’m not staying here.’”
Sullivan said her son graduated South Fork High School and is an only child. He always felt safe at FSU.
“I was thankful that he got through high school without any mass shooting,” Sullivan said. “This is the last thing I would have ever thought would happen.”
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: FSU students’ parents share experiences after deadly shooting