What to Know About Alleged Florida School Shooter Nikolas Cruz
Nikolas Cruz, the expelled student suspected of killing at least 17 people and injuring more than a dozen others at his former high school in Parkland, Florida, was described by his former classmates as a loner with a temper. On Thursday, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Cruz confessed to being the shooter.
The 19-year-old was charged Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder, after he allegedly opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday afternoon. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting is the 6th school shooting resulting in injuries this year. There have been 17 incidents of gunfire in schools this year, according to gun control group Everytown USA.
Authorities said Cruz used an AR-15 rifle — a semi-automatic assault-style riflethat has been used in numerous other mass shootings — in the shooting. He also hid additional magazines in his vest and backpack, according to the police report. The suspect, who was expelled from the school last year for disciplinary reasons, was taken into custody about an hour after fleeing school grounds. Authorities believe the suspected shooter worked alone.
Described by former classmates as “loner,” Cruz was an orphaned teenager whose mother died in November 2017, according to The Sun-Sentinel. His mother and her husband, who died years ago, according to the paper, had adopted Cruz and his biological brother. The two boys had then moved in with a family friend, an attorney for the family told the Associated Press.
“This totally came out of left field. They had no idea, no predilection,” James Lewis, the attorney, said. “They had no clue that this kid was dangerous,” he added.
A leader of a Florida white supremacist militia called the Republic of Florida had claimed that Cruz was a member of the organization and had participated in a training exercise, but later appeared to back away from that claim.
Lt. Grady Jordan with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office in Tallahassee said investigators have found “no known ties” between Cruz and Republic of Florida, a group that his office tracks.
More than 3,200 students attend Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where approximately 130 teachers work. Videos published as the shooting unfolded showed dozens of students streaming out of classrooms as authorities escorted them out of classrooms following a lockdown. Graphic images and videos posted by students inside these classrooms showed children crying and blood on the floors in the aftermath.
The suspect appeared in court on Thursday and was ordered to be held in jail without bond. Public defenders representing Cruz argued that he had brain development issues, as well as mental illness. They described Cruz as deeply sad, “saddened by the loss of these children” in the shooting,” and called him “a broken child.” Among the conditions that public defenders said Cruz grappled with was trouble with impulse control.
Shooting Timeline
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said in a news conference Thursday that the suspect arrived at the high school Wednesday at 2:19 p.m., getting a ride from an Uber car. He entered the school’s building 12 with his rifle in a soft, black case, and began shooting at 2:21 p.m. During his rampage, the shooter fired into five classrooms across three floors of the building, according to the sheriff.
Next, after making his way up three floors, the suspect dropped his rifle and backpack and ran outside toward the tennis courts at 2:28 p.m. “The suspect crossed fields and ran west along with others who were fleeing, and tried to mix in with the group that were running away, fearing for their lives,” said Israel.
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