PARKLAND, Fl — A judge has ordered the suspected Florida school shooter held without bond on 17 counts of murder.
This after police said the former student unleashed a hail of gunfire in a Florida high school on Wednesday, killing at least 17 adults and children.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott ordered government flags flown at half-staff through Monday in honor of victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a public school of some 3,000 students outside Boca Raton.
The school is closed for the rest of the week, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said. The district will offer grief counseling to students and their families.
“This has been a day where we’ve seen the worst of humanity. Tomorrow is gonna bring out the best in humanity as we come together to move forward from this unspeakable tragedy,” he said.
The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was expelled for unspecified disciplinary reasons, Runcie said. He is due in court Thursday.
He’s been officially charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
The FBI was warned in September about a possible school shooting threat from a YouTube user with the same name as the suspect in Wednesday’s campus massacre in Parkland, Florida, according to a video blogger.
The Broward County Sheriff says armed security was on campus during the shooting, but says that individual never encountered suspect Nikolas Cruz.
The shooting, which is among the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history, revived debate over gun control while American politicians offered their condolences.
“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,” US President Donald Trump said.
Trump will address the nation at 11 a.m. following a press conference in Florida with officials updating with current details.
Messages from the scene in texts and Snapchats
Law enforcement responded to reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shortly before 3 p.m. and encountered a chaotic scene.
Investigators believe the suspect pulled the fire alarm to draw people out of classrooms and increase the number of casualties, a law enforcement source told CNN. But the school already had a fire drill earlier in the day, leading some to think it was a false alarm.
While some left the building, others sought cover in classrooms as the school went into lockdown and the gunman went on his rampage.
Some students, fearing their lives would soon be over, texted goodbyes to loved ones; others used their phones to share startling footage of the carnage on social media.
One teacher said she was on her way out of the building after the fire alarm when another staff member told her the situation was code red — an active shooter. Melissa Falkowski returned to a classroom and hid in a closet with 19 students from her newspaper class for nearly 40 minutes.
Falkowski credited the fire drill and recent active shooter training with saving lives. And yet, it didn’t save enough.
“We could not have been more prepared for this situation, which is what makes it so frustrating,” Falkowski told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
“We did everything that we were supposed to do. Broward County Schools has prepared us for this situation and still to have so many casualties, at least for me, it’s very emotional. Because I feel today like our government, our country has failed us and failed our kids and didn’t keep us safe.”
‘It’s really a blessing to still be alive’
Police are investigating Cruz’s digital footprint, Sheriff Scott Israel said. So far, what they’ve found is “very, very disturbing,” he said.
Law enforcement sources said the suspect used a .223 caliber, AR-15 style firearm in the shooting.
Freshman Kayden Hanafi said he heard two gunshots and saw people running out of another building on campus. As he and his classmates went into lockdown, many thought the noise might have been firecrackers.
“It’s really a blessing to still be alive,” he said.
Nicole Baltzer, 18, said she was in trigonometry class about 10 minutes before the end of the school day when the fire alarm went off. As students evacuated, she heard six gunshots and everyone started running back inside the school, Baltzer said.
“I heard so many gunshots, at least like six. They were very close,” Baltzer said.
A police officer told her to close her eyes as she walked past a classroom with broken glass, telling her “there’s nothing good to see in there,” she said.
A freshman named Aidan posted a photo on social media from inside his math class while on lockdown.
“We have been liberated. God bless, America,” Aidan tweeted after being evacuated from the building. “Love each other. You may never know when it may be the last day you meet someone.”
Terror in Florida’s safest city
The shooting sent students and staff streaming out of the school. Some walked calmly with their hands up while others ran. According to a law enforcement source, the suspect initially mixed in with the crowd of students to try to get away, but it didn’t work.
Immediately after the shooting, aerial footage from CNN affiliate WSVN showed people lying on the ground outside the school, being treated for injuries and moved to ambulances. Seventeen people, including the suspect, were sent to area hospitals, said Dr. Evan Boyar of Broward Health.
As news of the shooting spread, desperate parents gathered near the property, searching for their children at the nearby Walmart where the students and staff gathered after being evacuated.
Those who died included students and adults, the sheriff said. Twelve were killed inside the building and two died outside, he said. One died in the street and two died at the hospital, Israel said.
Parkland, with a population of 31,000 in 2016, was named Florida’s safest city last year, according to one analysis. The south Florida city had seven reported violent crimes and 186 property crimes the previous year, the analysis said.
This is how events unfolded in one of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history, according to law enforcement authorities, school officials and witnesses. All times are Eastern.
Vigil held in Florida
Wednesday February 14
About 2:30 p.m.
• Cruz arrives at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He is wearing a gas mask and carrying smoke grenades. It’s unclear if the smoke grenades were used.
• He allegedly sets off the school’s fire alarm, prompting the evacuation of some 3,000 students and staff. Investigators believe the suspect wanted to draw people out of classrooms to increase the number of casualties.
• The shooter uses a .223 caliber AR-15 firearm to carry out the massacre.
• As the school goes on lockdown, students take cover inside classrooms. Others jump over the school’s fences and escape to take shelter in a nearby Walmart. Some students text their loved ones and others post on social media images of chairs overturned in classrooms and floors stained with blood.
• Twelve people are killed inside the building, two outside and one in the street. Two others die at the hospital.
2:53 p.m.
• The Broward County Sheriff’s Office begins investigating reports of an active shooter at the school. When deputies arrive, they see hundreds of students fleeing.
• The alleged gunman mixes in with the students and staff running out of the school.
3:11 p.m.
• The FBI and dozens of police vehicles respond to the shooting.
• Video shows some students lying on the ground, being treated for injuries and moved into ambulances.
• White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and is monitoring the situation.
3:15 p.m.
• The gunman is still at large.
3:40 p.m.
• The school begins dismissing students. Buses take them to a nearby hotel where they reunite with their families.
3:50 p.m.
• President Trump tweets, “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.”
3:53 p.m.
• Law enforcement searches the school’s buildings to evacuate students from classrooms.
4:10 p.m.
• Authorities find Cruz in a nearby neighborhood and arrest him without incident. They identify him using school security videos.
• He is taken to the Broward Health North hospital because he has “labored breathing.” Cruz is treated and released to police custody.
4:20 p.m.
• Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie says the school received no warnings and that he was not aware of any threats against the school.
5:18 p.m.
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott travels to Broward County to be briefed about the shooting.
6 p.m.
• Authorities identify the alleged gunman as Nikolas Cruz — a 19-year-old former student at the high school. He arrives at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office wearing a hospital gown and is escorted inside by deputies.
6:30 p.m. to end of day
• School district officials say the school will remain closed for the rest of the week.
• The FBI sets up a website for students and others who were inside the school to upload videos and photos of the shooting.
• Law enforcement officials search Cruz’s home and another undisclosed location.
Thursday February 15
• Cruz is expected to make his first court appearance in Broward County.