He used to threaten other kids and was crazy about guns... We knew if anybody was going to do this it would be Nikolas

HIGH school killer Nikolas Cruz appeared in court in shackles and a prison-issued orange jumpsuit to face 17 counts of first-degree murder.

As he was denied bail and remanded in custody last night, former classmates told how they had chillingly predicted the 19-year-old would turn to murder.

One mum, Heidi Feuerman, said her daughter once told her: “If anybody is going to be a school shooter, he’s the one that is going to be a school shooter.”

US President Donald Trump said the gunman was “mentally disturbed”.

Addressing the nation, he added: “I want you to know, you will never be alone. You have people to protect you.”

But teacher Melissa Falkowski, who survived the Valentine’s Day massacre, hit back: “I feel our government, our country, has failed us, failed our kids and didn’t keep us safe.”

Cruz rampaged with an AR-15 assault rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, near Miami, Florida.

He had been expelled last year after fighting with his ex’s new boyfriend.

Just five months ago, the teenager posted a warning on Youtube of carrying out a massacre. The FBI were alerted but said they were unable to identify Cruz or stop Wednesday’s attack.

Cruz, who had mental health treatment last year, also commented on a video on a 1960s university shooting, saying: “I’m going to do what he did.”

Students feared he was a ticking timebomb, and claimed he was banned from having a backpack at school after bullets were found in his bag.

Ex-classmate Alex Azar said: “He always seemed like the unstable type, the type who would do this sort of thing. He was always in trouble.” Chad Williams, 18, said Cruz would set off the fire alarm daily at middle school and was expelled there too. He added: “He was crazy about guns. He was kind of an outcast. He didn’t have many friends.’’ Pupil Eddie Bonilla said: “He always had guns on him. A lot of people were saying he was the one to shoot up the school. We threw jokes around like that, but it turns out everyone predicted it. It’s crazy.”

Cruz had been suffering mental health issues since his adoptive mother died of pneumonia in November. He posted