Former student gunman shoots ‘at least seven dead’ and leaves up to 50 injured at Florida High school on Ash Wednesday after going on rampage before being taken into custody in an ambulance following dramatic showdown with SWAT
A gunman, named as Nicolas de Jesus Cruz, 19, has been arrested after opening fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida
Authorities report at least seven casualties at the school while up to 50 were injured in the shooting
Some students barricaded themselves inside their classrooms while others were seen sprinting away from the school as police and SWAT teams swarmed the building
At around 4pm, two hours after he first opened fire, police took the suspected gunman into custody
Police described him as a former student and ex-member of the JROTC
A student who claims to know Cruz said the suspected gunman was a ‘troubled kid’ and obsessed with guns
‘I stayed clear of him. I didn’t want to cause any conflict with him because of the impression he gave off’
By HANNAH PARRY
DAILYMAIL.COM
14 February 2018
A suspected gunman has been arrested after opening fire on a Florida high school on Ash Wednesday, leaving as many as seven dead and up to 50 injured.
The ‘heavily armed’ shooter, named by police sources to DailyMail.com as former student Nicolas de Jesus Cruz, 19, entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, armed with what appears to be an assault rifle, and began shooting at just after 2pm.
Broward Sheriff confirmed that ‘we have at least 14 victims’ although he did not specify whether they had been injured or killed. Florida Senator Bill Nelson told Fox News there were ‘many deaths’.
Sources told CBS at least seven people had been confirmed dead.
The traumatized students said that once they heard reports of a mass shooting at the school, they knew it would be Cruz.
Matthew Walker, a 17-year-old student at the school, told WFOR-TV that all his classmates ‘knew it was going to be him.’
‘A lot of people were saying it was going to be him,’ he said. ‘A lot of kids threw jokes around saying that he was going to be the one to shoot up the school. It turns out that everyone predicted it. That’s crazy.’
‘He was going class to class just shooting at random kids,’ he said. ‘Everything he posts (on social media) is about weapons. It’s sick.’
Gunfire rand out at 2.25pm shortly before dismissal time, sparking panic as students barricaded themselves into their classrooms.
Others were seen running out of the building with their hands in their air as police and SWAT teams swarmed the school. Those fleeing the school, in single file, each threw their backpack into a large pile and huddled together under trees across the street.
At around 4pm, two hours after the shooter first opened fire, police and SWAT teams took him into custody. Police describe him as a student and a former member of the U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
Video shows him wearing a maroon or burgundy colored top as he was put in the back of a cruiser by half a dozens officers.
Horrifying video, filmed from inside a classroom at the school, captured the moment the shooter, who was wearing a gas mask, burst in and began shooting at his fellow students who were screaming in terror.
The students sat or lay on the floor of the classroom, trying to avoid being hit, as rapid gunfire was heard nearby. One girl’s hysterical screams were suddenly cut off during the shocking clip.
Desperate parents and relatives of students still locked down in the high school rushed to the scene to find out if their children were among the injured.
One mother, Michelle, whose daughter was inside, said there at least 20 students and teachers still barricaded in the school buildings. The unnamed mom said her daughter sent her a text that said: ‘There’s been a shooting in school … and it’s for real.’
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