Crime
FSU Shooting Victim Robert Morales Identified as Son of Controversial Cold War-Era CIA Operative Ricardo “Monkey” Morales
Roberto Morales, one of the two individuals killed during the mass shooting at Florida State University on Thursday, was not a student at the university.
Authorities confirmed that five others were hospitalized in the shooting, which unfolded just before noon near the Student Union building.
The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student and the son of longtime Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jessica Ikner, is currently in custody.
Law enforcement officials stated that the suspect used one of his mother’s personal firearms during the attack.
Roberto Morales, originally from South Florida, had worked in dining services at Florida State University since 2015.
Friends and family members say he was a dedicated worker and a devoted family man, survived by his wife and daughter.
According to his brother, Morales was profoundly affected by the death of their father, Ricardo “Monkey” Morales, during his teenage years.
Ricardo Morales, a Cuban exile and former Cold War intelligence operative, was fatally shot in a Key Biscayne bar on December 20, 1982, at the age of 43.
The incident was officially ruled a justifiable homicide, though longstanding questions and conspiracy theories persist due to his controversial background and extensive ties to covert operations.
Ricardo “Monkey” Morales was a high-profile figure in anti-Castro militant circles and operated as an intelligence asset for multiple agencies, including the CIA, FBI, DEA, Israel’s Mossad, and Venezuela’s DISIP.
His career was marked by a wide array of clandestine activities, from sabotage and espionage to alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
Despite facing numerous legal challenges, Morales often avoided prosecution — further fueling speculation about his deep involvement with U.S. and international intelligence communities.
A veteran of the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, Morales became part of the broader network of Cuban exiles recruited by the CIA during the 1960s and ’70s for missions aimed at destabilizing Fidel Castro’s government.
His covert operations spanned multiple continents and left behind a murky trail of intrigue and speculation.
In a 2021 Miami radio interview, Ricardo Morales Jr. — Roberto’s brother — claimed that their father had recognized Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, as one of his former sniper trainees.
According to Morales Jr., his father served as a sniper instructor at secret CIA-backed camps where Cuban exiles and others were trained for covert missions. He claimed that Morales immediately identified Oswald upon seeing news reports following JFK’s assassination in 1963.
Roberto Morales’ life and death now echo the shadowy legacy of his father, a man whose name continues to stir debate among Cold War historians and conspiracy theorists alike.
Crime
Angela Johnson and Her Son DeAngelo Johnson Killed After Shooting Inside Home in Chicago, Mother’s Boyfriend in Custody
CHICAGO — A 47-year-old mother and her 27-year-old son were fatally shot inside a residence in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood on the West Side late Thursday night, September 24, 2026, according to Chicago police.
The victims were identified as Angela Johnson, 47, and DeAngelo Johnson, 27. Police said a suspect, identified as Angela Johnson’s boyfriend, was taken into custody following the shooting.
The deadly shooting happened in the 800 block of North Parkside Avenue at approximately 10:43 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots coming from the basement of the residence and called 911.
When Chicago police officers arrived, they found the two victims suffering from gunshot wounds.
Angela Johnson was found in the basement with a gunshot wound to her chest. Police-radio traffic indicated she had been shot on the right side of her chest.
DeAngelo Johnson was found on the first floor with multiple gunshot wounds. Radio traffic indicated that he had suffered two gunshot wounds to his back.
Both victims were initially unresponsive and in critical condition. Emergency personnel performed CPR on DeAngelo Johnson before both victims were transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
According to police-radio traffic, one victim was pronounced dead at approximately 11:18 p.m., while the male victim was pronounced dead around 11:21 p.m.
Investigators found extensive evidence inside the residence, including approximately 23 shell casings in a basement bedroom. Additional shell casings were reportedly recovered in other areas of the basement, including the stairway, main room and bedroom.
Officers initially recovered a firearm and shell casings from the basement bedroom. Police later located a second firearm inside the home, bringing the total number of recovered firearms to two.
Authorities have not publicly stated who owned the firearms or confirmed which weapon, if either, was used in the fatal shooting.
Police also reported that DeAngelo Johnson was wearing an empty holster when officers found him on the first floor. That discovery prompted an officer-safety alert as officers searched the residence for the missing firearm.
Chicago police said the shooting appeared to be domestic-related and identified the alleged offender as the mother’s boyfriend.
Radio traffic indicated that a person had been detained by approximately 11:26 p.m. The official police report later confirmed that the known offender was taken into custody.
Two witnesses were reportedly available to identify the alleged offender, and officers conducted a show-up identification procedure near the scene.
Police have not released additional information about potential charges against the suspect.
The investigation into the Chicago Austin neighborhood double shooting remains ongoing. Detectives are continuing to examine the circumstances that led to the shooting, the relationship between the people involved and the role of the two recovered firearms.
The deaths of Angela Johnson and DeAngelo Johnson are being investigated as a double homicide.