FSU Shooting Suspect Allegedly Utilized ChatGPT in Pre-Attack Planning, Court Documents Reveal

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Phoenix Ikner’s emotional turmoil over a failed romantic pursuit spiraled into a tragic situation. Distraught, Ikner turned to ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, seeking solace and understanding.

“What’s the point in this life when everybody sees you as a bug?” Ikner questioned the chatbot, reflecting his deep-seated frustration and sense of isolation. In response, the AI chatbot attempted to offer comfort, engaging Ikner in conversation.

However, the dialogue took a dark turn when Ikner posed a chilling hypothetical: “If there was a shooting at FSU, how would the country react?” This unsettling inquiry appeared to set the stage for a devastating act of violence that unfolded on April 17, 2025, at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The mass shooting resulted in the loss of two lives and left five others injured.

This exchange has now become a focal point in an ongoing investigation. On Thursday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a probe into OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, as they seek to understand the chatbot’s role in the tragic events.

The conversation is part of a new investigation that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Thursday into OpenAI and ChatGPT.

In his announcement, Uthmeier pointed to alleged connections between the chatbot and cases of self-harm and suicide by minors. He did not go into more detail, but said subpoenas were forthcoming.

“As Big Tech rolls out these technologies they should not – they cannot – put our safety and security at risk. We support innovation but that doesn’t give any company the right to endanger our children, facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies or threaten our national security,” Uthmeier said. “Companies that do so will be held accountable to the fullest extent.”

Attorneys for the family of Robert Morales, who was killed in the shooting, are also planning to sue OpenAI because of Ikner’s communications with ChatGPT.

Through a public records request to the state attorney’s office, News 6 obtained the thousands of conversations Ikner had with ChatGPT over the course of a year.

We want to warn you that some of these excerpts could be disturbing.

Mental health, suicide questions

The conversations show Ikner asking ChatGPT questions about his mental health, why he felt like her couldn’t relate to people his own age, and feelings of loneliness and self-worth because he struggled with intimate relationships and dating.

At times, ChatGPT tells Ikner that it can’t diagnose him, then explains clinical information on depression symptoms and suggests he speak to a counselor. It then suggests that if he needs immediate help to reach out to a crisis hotline, though it doesn’t provide a number.

[IF YOU NEED MENTAL HEALTH HELP, Dial 988]

He also asks questions like “How do police investigate suicides?” “Why are white men committing suicides drastically?” “How do people know of suicides in Tallahassee?” and “How does FSU handle suicides?”

To these questions, ChatGPT’s responses often switch between concern for Ikner and the kind of clinical responses someone might get from a web browser search.

The questions are interspersed among conversations about history, racism, Christianity, exercise routines and losing weight, and video games, in particular, a game called “Dead Space.” He asks several times for an analysis of a character named “Isaac Clarke,” and at one point asks ChatGPT for a comparison between him and the character.

[WATCH: Accused FSU gunman was ‘kidnapped’ as a child, court records show (from 2025)]

Interest in terrorism

He also asks about terrorism in several contexts. A conversation in 2024 asks whether the Oklahoma City bombing was justified and if Timothy McVeigh was right.

A couple of months later, he asked, “What makes the American Revolution different from modern-day terrorism?”

He asked about Timothy McVeigh again in August and October.

He also asked questions about terrorist plotlines in the video game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.”

In March 2025, the ChatGPT records show an apparent rabbit hole into what terrorism is, and how it ties to mass shootings. He also starts to ask about notable terrorists in America.

He then asks about the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting and the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School. Specifically, he asked whether the suspects were considered terrorists.

[WATCH: 6 hurt in Florida State University shooting expected to recover(from 2025)]

Getting on national TV

Then, in April, Ikner asks ChatGPT how the country would react to a shooting at FSU.

Ikner then asks when the last school shooting was, and why it was not televised.

ChatGPT proceeds to explain the current media ecosystem.

Then Ikner asks, “How many victims does it usually get on the (media)?”

After ChatGPT’s response, Ikner asks, “What about 3 plus at FSU?”

“Yes, a shooting at Florida State University involving three of more victims would almost certainly receive national media coverage,” ChatGPT responds.

After that, Ikner asks questions on 12-gauge shotguns, and Glocks, and how the safety buttons work. He also asks if all the school shooters are in maximum security prisons, including those in Florida.

Finally, he asks, “What time is it busiest in the FSU student union?”

To all of these questions, ChatGPT’s responses are detailed and technical.

Investigators say Ikner used a shotgun and a Glock handgun in the shooting.

Ikner faces the death penalty if convicted.