A tragic shooting incident unfolded at Florida State University, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuries to six others. The assailant, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, a student at the university and stepson of a sheriff’s deputy, initiated the attack with his stepmother’s former service weapon. The incident occurred near the student union around lunchtime on Thursday, prompting a campus lockdown and sending students into a state of panic. Officers responded by shooting and wounding Ikner after he refused to comply with their commands. The motive for the attack remains unknown.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of the deceased victims. However, it has been confirmed through family communication that one of the victims was Robert Morales, a university employee, and another was Tiru Chabba, an executive with a food service vendor.
Robert Morales
Robert Morales, who served as a university dining coordinator, had been affiliated with Florida State University since 2015. According to his LinkedIn profile, he had an extensive background in criminology, having studied the subject at the university in the early 1990s. His professional history also includes being the CEO of Black Bean Food Group, although state records indicate that the business was dissolved a decade ago.
Morales was renowned for his innovative culinary contributions, particularly in Cuban cuisine, and had experience as an assistant football coach at Leon High School. Kyle Clark, a senior vice president at FSU, spoke highly of Morales during a vigil, emphasizing his passion and dedication to his work and community.
Morales came from a family with a historical narrative. His father, Ricardo Morales, was a Cuban exile who became a CIA operative known as “Monkey.” This colorful history is set to be chronicled in an upcoming book by Ricardo Morales Jr., which explores the elder Morales’s life filled with espionage and intrigue.
Tiru Chabba
Tiru Chabba, identified as another victim, was employed by Aramark as a regional vice president for Collegiate Hospitality. With a career at Aramark spanning over two decades, Chabba was a resident of Greenville, South Carolina, and a family man with two children. He held an MBA from The Citadel in South Carolina.
The Chabba family, represented by attorney Bakari Sellers, expressed their deep sorrow and described the devastating impact of losing a cherished husband and father to such senseless violence. The family is currently enduring a profound period of mourning.
This incident has left the Florida State University community reeling as they come to terms with the violence that shattered the peace of their campus.
