By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Florida State University shooting records released by authorities include body camera video, 911 audio and evidence regarding the April 17, 2025, campus shooting.
• The shooting killed two people and wounded six others before police detained the suspect within minutes.
• Court filings indicate the suspect, Phoenix Ikner, communicated with ChatGPT before the attack, asking questions about firearms and campus activity.
• Attorneys for a victim plan to file a lawsuit against OpenAI alleging the chatbot “may have advised” the suspect.
• Florida’s attorney general has opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI’s role in the incident.
TALLAHASSEE, FL — Newly released records from the Florida State Attorney’s Office include body camera footage, 911 calls and evidence from the April 17, 2025, Florida State University campus shooting, showing law enforcement’s rapid response and detailing the suspected gunman’s prior use of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot.
The active shooter attack at FSU’s Student Union resulted in two fatalities and six injuries before campus police engaged and wounded the suspect, identified in public records as Phoenix Ikner, within minutes of the first shots.
Records obtained by local media show Ikner communicated with ChatGPT before the shooting, at times asking questions about firearms operation, campus activity patterns and prosecution of other shooters.
Attorneys representing one of the victims killed in the shooting announced plans to file a lawsuit against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, asserting that extensive chat records “may have advised” the gunman prior to the attack.
In response to the case, Florida’s attorney general has launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI regarding the AI’s alleged involvement and broader safety issues, an unprecedented probe at the state level.
Investigators and prosecutors continue to develop legal and technical reviews of the incident and associated evidence as court proceedings and supplementary inquiries progress.