TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Bond was denied Tuesday morning for the 20-year-old Florida State University student accused of opening fire on campus nearly a month ago.

Phoenix Ikner is facing multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder, according to court records and a press release shared Monday afternoon by the Tallahassee Police Department.

The charges come after he was accused of killing two men and injuring six other people after firing shots on April 17 on FSU’s campus.

During his first court appearance Tuesday around 11 a.m., Ikner was also ordered to have no contact with the shooting victims, their families or any witnesses.

A public defender was appointed for the 20-year-old.

Attorneys for the family of Tiru Chabba, a 45-year-old South Carolina man who lost his life in the shooting, released a statement Tuesday afternoon following Ikner’s court appearance.

The three South Carolina-based civil rights attorneys representing Chabba’s family, Bakari Sellers, Jim Bannister and J Robert Bell III, said Ikner’s first court appearance will mark “the first steps toward closure for a family that suffered so much.”

The attorneys’ full statement read:

This is an incredibly difficult day for Tiru Chabba’s family, particularly his wife and two young children. Our hope is that, through the thorough and transparent investigation and prosecution of the events surrounding last month’s shooting, today’s court appearance will mark the first steps toward closure for a family that suffered so much.

That journey is far from over and we have a long way left to go. But Mr. Chabba’s family would like to thank the Tallahassee Police Department and State Attorney Jack Campbell for their dedication to ensuring that justice is done for their family and all those scarred by this unthinkable act of violence.

Ikner’s first court appearance and comments from Chabba’s family attorneys come after the suspected gunman was booked into the Leon County Detention Facility Monday and transferred to the Wakulla County Detention Facility, according to jail records.

Multiple killed, injured after shooting at Florida State University:

The FSU student was released from the hospital Monday after weeks of recovery. He was shot in the jaw by FSU Police while they responded to the campus shooting.

FSU student Dakota Conaway-Ellis said he hopes Ikner’s arrest sends a message that no one is immune from justice. “They’re going to get what they deserve for harming people,” he said. “It’s empowering to those who were affected.”

Conaway-Ellis said he remembers being on campus when the shooting happened. “It was a big wake up call, and I will say, a lot of people were brought together by this,” the FSU freshman said. “It gets rid of that feeling that nothing bad can happen to you, and it teaches people that they need to savor every moment.”

In a press conference on the day of the shooting, Sheriff Walt McNeil said Ikner had invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not answer investigators’ questions, and they had yet to identify a motive.

The 20-year-old is the stepson of Jessica Ikner, a celebrated deputy at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities recovered one of her firearms at the scene of the shooting. It was a former service weapon that she had purchased from LCSO to use as a personal firearm, officials said.

Following his arrest, Jessica Ikner stepped back from her role as a school resource deputy for an “indefinite” period. LCSO is investigating the storage of that firearm, but authorities said they have not found any indication of policy violations so far.

The suspected shooter’s history with the sheriff’s office extends beyond his family. Sheriff McNeil acknowledged that Ikner had an intimate relationship with the department and was a “longstanding” member of the LCSO Youth Advisory Council.

Jacob West served on the council with Ikner. He said at that point, Ikner seemed committed to the council’s mission. Now, West said he is desperate for answers about what could have happened between the time they served on the council together and the day of the FSU shooting.

“It was weird that he had such a heart for helping people, and then he decided to go and turn it around like this,” West said. “I pray for those families and I pray that they that they’re able to overcome this kind of pain that’s been inflicted on them by this person.”

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