Suspect admits to high school shooting: Police
17 dead in latest U.S. massacre
PARKLAND, Fla. — The 19-year-old accused of gunning down 17 people at his former high school admitted to carrying out the shooting rampage, authorities said in court papers filed Thursday.
Police wrote that Nikolas Cruz, charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, told officers he walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Wednesday wielding an AR-15 and began shooting students in the hallways and on the school’s grounds.
Once students began to flee, Cruz dropped his rifle and vest packed with additional ammunition “so he could blend into the crowd,” an officer wrote in a probable cause affidavit. Cruz had taken an Uber to the school, officials wrote, so he fled on foot along with those running from the gunfire. An officer found him not long after walking on a residential street.
The revelations came as police vowed to make sure “justice is served” after one of the country’s deadliest school shootings.
A day after the Valentine’s Day shooting rampage, authorities had not publicly announced a motivation for the carnage, but they were digging into elements of Cruz’s troubled past.
What unfolded inside the high school was a grimly familiar sight, as another school was transformed into a war zone in an otherwise quiet suburban community.
Catarina Linden, a 16-year-old sophomore, said she was in an advanced math class when the gunfire began.
“He shot the girl next to me,” she said, adding when she finally was able to leave the classroom, the air was foggy with gun smoke. “I stepped on so many shell casings. There were bodies on the ground, and there was blood everywhere.”
Aaron Feis, a school security guard and an assistant football coach, used his own body to shield students fleeing from the gunman.
“He died the same way he lived — he put himself second,” said Denise Lehtio, a spokesman for the school.
Abbie Youkilis, the aunt of 14-year-old Jaime Guttenberg, who died in the shooting, said Jaime’s parents were “the world’s most loving and overprotective parents but they could not protect Jaime from the sickness that has gripped our country.”
Donald Trump delivered a sombre address from the White House, but he avoided any mention of curbing access to guns. Instead, the president said he would “tackle the difficult issue of mental health” and that there had been “so many signs” that Cruz was “mentally disturbed.”
He added on Twitter: “Neighbours and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, said: “It cannot be denied that something dangerous and unhealthy is happening. We are going to take action. We must reverse these trends.”
David Hogg, a student who survived the shooting, demanded more.
“We’re children. You guys are the adults. You need to take some action and play a role. Work together, come over your politics, and get something done.”
Cruz had been treated at a mental health clinic, but was still able to legally purchase the AR-15 rifle, and large amounts of ammunition, passing a background check in February 2017.
Cruz made his first court appearance Thursday, dressed in an orange jumpsuit with his hands shackled to his waist. Asked to confirm his name he told the judge: “Yes Ma’am.” He was ordered to be held without bail.