The Shooting
On Wednesday, February 14, 17 people were killed, 14 others were injured, 5 of whom are suffering from life-threatening injuries when a teen opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The Shooter
The shooter has been identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.
Cruz was recently expelled from Douglas for disciplinary reasons and was enrolled elsewhere in the district. Authorities say he was armed with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle and multiple magazines.
After his mother’s death in November, Nikolas moved in with a local family. Their son also attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Nikolas Cruz was employed at a Dollar Tree store in Parkland.
The Arrest
Nikolas Cruz was able to flee the campus by blending in with the crowd of students as they were running for safety. He was apprehended about an hour after the shooting off campus in Coral Springs.
Cruz was officially charged Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder — one for each of the people he’s accused of fatally shooting at his former high school.
The Warning
The FBI was alerted six months ago after a YouTube user named “Nikolas Cruz” posted a comment stating “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”
The Hero
Football coach Aaron Feis threw himself in front of students as bullets hailed down Wednesday at his alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Aaron suffered a gunshot wound and was rushed into surgery. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries.
He will always be remembered as a true hero.
The President
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.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018
Just spoke to Governor Rick Scott. We are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018
Please keep all of the families, students and faculty affected by this tragedy in your prayers.
God help us.
