It’s time we had a hard conversation.

With hard conversations come disagreements, and that’s okay. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me on this subject matter, but I think it needs to be discussed.

Thursday afternoon a shooting took place at Florida State University, where two people succumbed to injuries and six others were injured.

The accused suspect is Phoenix Ikner, 20.

According to news sources, Phoenix Ikner is the son of a local sheriff’s deputy and has spent time training with law enforcement and serving on a sheriff’s advisory council.

His stepmother, Jessica Ikner, has long served as a school resource officer, and officers have noted that her “service to the community has been exceptional.”

However, that’s where the trouble begins.

Phoenix used Jessica’s handgun, which used to be her service weapon.

Since the shooting, Jessica has taken personal leave and has been transferred to the property crimes unit.

Amid her leave, many have called for the arrest of Jessica, citing she left Phoenix with access to her gun and needs to take full responsibility for his actions with her weapon.

I’ll be honest, I was a little shocked.

When the incident happened earlier this school year and the parent was held responsible, I understood that. She was just a child; guns shouldn’t be left out for her access.

Phoenix is not a child.

He is an adult, who made an adult decision, knowing full well the repercussions, and deserves adult consequences.

I thought about all of the people who missed the signs that Phoenix was on the verge of doing something dangerous. He fooled so many that I find it difficult to fault his stepmother for falling into his trap.

When I first read Phoenix was part of the advisory council, I figured a background check was needed. Phoenix’s role was to provide “an open line of communication between the youth of Leon County and local law enforcement.” Upon more research, I found that a background check was completed, and no red flags were raised. He fooled an entire department that deals with the worst of people every day.

In fact, a member of the Sheriff’s youth council described him as “helpful and bright,” “pretty friendly and honest.”

Does that sound like someone who is planning a school shooting to you?

Phoenix didn’t even just serve for a short term. He was described as a longstanding member. He specifically had an interest in doing something good for his country.

He had taken part in numerous trainings as well and knew how to use weapons, properly and responsibly.

Knowing that I don’t believe Jessica should be held responsible for Phoenix’s actions. She did everything she could to educate him on the law. She (presumably) inspired him to a path in law enforcement. Nothing about her makes me think she is careless or negligent to her stepson or any children.

Being a school resource officer, she protects children daily from people like her stepson. Parents from the school she serves at have even spoken out about what a wonderful person she was and how their children are saddened to see her leave. If it came down to it, I think had Phoenix walked in that door and tried to hurt those other babies, she would’ve taken the necessary actions. She helped raise him better than that.

I am not Jessica and I am not a member of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, but I imagine there are numerous people wondering how this happened.

When working in Bainbridge, I was covering a STOP THE BLEED training. It was a life-saving course on how to help save those around you in a mass casualty event. This particular one was geared toward teachers and helped them use everyday classroom objects to help their students in the event of a school shooting. During that same course, you could sign up for a course on how to identify personality changes in someone who could potentially become a threat.

I took the course, as did most teachers. It’s a course I believe every officer has taken. When I think about Jessica Ikner, I think about how she must be beating herself up. I envision her crying, wondering how she looks for that in her school every day, but didn’t see the changes in her stepson.

I know someone has to pay for the horrific crime of Phoenix, but I don’t think it should be her. She appears to have led him on a lawful path. Unfortunately, that’s not the path he ultimately chose. Instead, he used that information on law enforcement responses to see how he could commit his crime, and I don’t believe that’s any reflection of how she (his stepmother) raised him. I believe those were his choices and his actions.