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MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2025

VOLUME 119 - ISSUE 29 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

FSU community mourns after mass shooting kills two, injures six more A GUNMAN OPENED FIRE AT THE UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT UNION APRIL 17

Two people died and six were hospitalized after a shooting at Florida State University’s student union on April 17. Robert Morales, a 57-year-old FSU dining coordinator of 10 years, and Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old regional vice president of Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, died during the shooting. All six wounded, some of whom are students, are expected to make a full recovery, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare staff said. One patient had been discharged as of April 19, the hospital said. The alleged gunman is 20-yearold Phoenix Ikner, an FSU political science student and the stepson of Leon County Deputy Jessica Ikner. He was hospitalized after being shot by law enforcement for not complying with commands, but is expected to survive. Ikner — whose stepmother has worked with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office for over 18 years — was a long-standing member of LCSO’s

youth advisory council and participated in a number of LCSO training programs. Ikner had access to his mother’s personal handgun, which was found at the crime scene, LCSO Sheriff Walter McNeil said during an April 17 press conference. The university is cooperating with the investigation, FSU President Richard McCullough said during the press conference. “We’re a strong and united community. We’re family. And so we’ll take care of all of you, and we’ll get through this together,” he said. Ikner’s motive is still unclear, but classmates alleged “white supremacist and far-right rhetoric.” Joe Diaz, a 19-year-old FSU political science freshman, sat in front of Ikner in a history class. He described the shooter as quiet and put together. “It didn’t seem like something he was capable of,” Diaz said. Diaz described Ikner as being into history, having in-depth conversations with the professor and fellow students during class. After Ikner was identified in the April 17 press conference as the alleged shooter, Diaz didn’t immedi-

SEE SHOOTING, PAGE 4

Kade Sowers // Alligator Staff

A student kneels in prayer over flowers, candles and balloons left at a vigil for mass shooting victims at Florida State University on Friday, April 18, 2025.

UF law student trespassed from campus after racist, antisemitic social media posts Damsky called for the elimination of Jewish people “by any means necessary” By Grace McClung Alligator Staff Writer

A UF law student who previously won a top academic honor for an essay promoting white supremacy was banned from campus this month after publicly indicating support for a Jewish genocide. Preston Terry Damsky, a 29-year-old student at UF’s Levin College of Law, was issued a trespass order on April 3, making it a seconddegree misdemeanor for him to set foot on university property for three years. The order came weeks after Damsky began posting racist and antisemitic content on social media, in-

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

GPD force finish with comma, Story task description The pg# investigative team fighting child sex abuse. Read more on pg. 5.

cluding a message calling for the elimination of Jews “by any means necessary.” UF, home to the largest Jewish student population of any public university in the U.S., has since increased security around the law school with added police patrols, stricter event protocols and restricted building access. The trespass order followed months of internal concern within the law school over Damsky’s rhetoric, which sharply escalated in late March over his social media accounts. From February to April, Damsky made dozens of X posts, where he described Jewish people as “parasitizing the West,” labeling immigrants as “invaders” and advocating for a white ethnostate.

Details about Damsky’s conduct and the university’s internal response come from a review of his social media accounts and faculty emails, as well as interviews with seven faculty and students, some of whom spoke under conditions of anonymity because they were concerned about their job security and personal safety. Despite growing internal pressure from within the law school, administrators haven’t publicly commented on what led to Damsky’s trespass order. UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan, citing federal privacy laws protecting confidential student information, declined to answer questions about the incident. According to Roldan, Damsky is still enrolled at UF

The Avenue: Thomas Allain Embracing authenticity, pg. 6

as of April 18. Trespass warnings can be issued to anybody — including students — who “may pose a threat” to the community, according to UFPD. Court records show Terry has no criminal history and no charges have been filed as of April 20. The law school’s interim dean, Merritt McAlister, addressed backlash against the law school’s response to the controversy during an April 9 town hall meeting with students and faculty. McAlister, who asked an Alligator reporter attending the meeting to leave, defended the law school’s commitment to upholding the First Amendment and maintaining institutional neutrality. According to a recording of the meeting

SEE RACISM, PAGE 4

The Duck Lady

Using toy ducks to support UF cats, pg. 5

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