Gunman in Custody After Killing 17 in Florida School

by Sorahya Lamothe, Daily Pop News

February 15, 2018

Getty Images

A former student and gunman who opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at a high school in Parkland, Florida, confessed to the deadly rampage and has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

Identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz shot into five classrooms and in the school's hallways on the 1st and 2nd floors. 14 students were wounded. A record of 14 students and two teachers were among the dead. After the shooting, Cruz hid the ammunition, blending in with fleeing students, and exited the school. An hour later, he was spotted and detained after heading to a Walgreens and McDonalds.

Nikolas Cruz being arrested near the scene/ Photo courtesy of Business Insider

Cruz was dismissed from the high school a year ago for bringing a bag of bullets to the school. Students who knew of him and had classes with him described the gunman as strange and obsessed with guns.

According to BuzzFeed News, a YouTuber with the same name as the shooter commented on a video uploaded by a Mississippi bondsman saying "I'm going to be a professional school shooter." The comment was reported to the FBI last September, but officials failed to put a face to the username.

Among the deceased includes:

Alyssa Alhadeff, 14
Nicholas Dworet, 18
Aaron Feis, Assistant football coach
Luke Hoyer, 15
Cara Loughran, 14
Joaquin Oliver, 17
Meadow Pollack, 18
Alex Schachter, 14
Peter Wang, 15
Jaime Guttenberg, 17
Gina Montalto, 14
Carmen Schentrup, 16
Alaina Petty, 14
Scott Beigel, teacher
Martin Duque Anguiano
Chris Hixon, athletic director
Helena Ramsay

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel held a news conference on the Parkland school shooting.

The shooting at the Parkland school campus is the 18th deadliest school shooting this year.