Reporter Bizarrely Asks Police if Suspected FSU Shooter Is ‘Autistic’

A reporter asked police on Thursday, in the hours after a deadly shooting on the Florida State University campus, if the suspected shooter suffers from autism.

The reason for the question was not immediately clear, but officers had just identified their suspect as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner.

Six people, including Ikner, suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to area hospitals. Two people who were described as non-students died at the hands of Ikner, police said.

Tallahassee Chief of Police Lawrence Revell took to the podium to answer questions when he was asked if Ikner was autistic in the following exchange:

REPORTER 1: Has anyone who died in the shooting or was injured in the shooting, were any of them members of law enforcement, whether it be the –

REVELL: No, they were not. They were not, yes, sir?

REPORTER 2: When law enforcement arrived, did the suspect engage with them or did he surrender immediately or can you speak to that?

REVELL: No, they – they challenged him and ended up shoot – he did not comply with with commands and was shot. I do not believe he fired at officers.

REPORTER 3: We’ve heard that Phoenix may be autistic. Are you able to confirm that detail?

REVELL: I do not have that detail.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported on Ikner:

The shooter was identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student and the son of a Leon County sheriff’s deputy. He used a weapon belonging to his mother, a school resource deputy. He was shot by first responders and taken to the hospital.

Watch above via MSNBC.