Deadly school revenge
AN expelled student who called himself the “annihilator” donned a gas mask and gunned down dozens of former schoolmates yesterday, killing at least 17 people in one of America’s most deadly school shootings.
Horrifying video footage showed students cowering and screaming as Nikolas Cruz, 19, stormed through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, blasting an assault rifle.
The former junior army reservist also set off a fire alarm and took aim at students as they fled with an AR-15 style assault weapon and multiple magazines.
He was arrested close to the school more than an hour later.
The St Valentine’s Day massacre, which also injured 50, was the fourth most deadly school shooting in US history, the eighth deadly school shooting this year and the worst since the Sandy Hook slayings of 18 primary school children in 2012.
“It is a horrible day for us,” school superintendent Robert Runcie said.
“It’s a day that you pray, every day when you get up, that you will never have to see.
“Potentially there could have been signs out there. But we didn’t have any warning or phone calls or threats that were made.”
Twelve victims died in the building, two outside, one on the street nearby and a further two later in hospital, the Broward sheriff’s department said.
The gunman was a former student who had been expelled for disciplinary problems.
His social media posts revealed he was obsessed with weapons, posing in photos with guns and knives, and calling himself “the annihilator”.
Many students were not surprised to learn the identity of the shooter.
“A lot of kids threw jokes around saying that he was going to be the one to shoot up the school,” student Matthew Walker, 17, said.
“It turns out that everyone predicted it. He was going class to class just shooting at random kids.
“Everything he posts (on social media) is about weapons. It’s sick.
“It was really bad. There were bullet holes everywhere. I did not see the shooter but he did shoot through my class.
“He couldn’t get inside because the door was locked.”
Teacher Melissa Falkowski told CNN the school was “well prepared” for a mass shooting, known as a “code red”.
“We have trained for this, we have trained the kids for what to do,” she said.
“I feel today like our government, our country, has failed us and failed our kids and didn’t keep us safe.”
Ms Falkowski was helping students put together the school newspaper in fourth period when the alarm sounded.
“We made it out of my room into the hallway … the security guard posted in our area said no, it’s a code red, go back,” she said.
Ms Falkowski hid with 19 students in a closet.
Maths teacher Jim Gard, who taught Cruz last year, said he had been considered a threat.
“We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him,’ Mr Gard told the Miami Herald.
“There were problems with him last year threatening students.”
The shooting was being investigated by the FBI, police and officers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
US President Donald Trump tweeted: “My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.”
The attack came at 2.30pm, near the end of the school day, with parents rushing to the school as news spread.
Beth Feingold said her daughter Brittani sent a text at 2.32pm saying, “We’re on code red. I’m fine”. Shortly afterwards, she sent one saying: “Mum, I’m so scared.”