Less than a day after a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing at least 17 people and wounding 15 more, the suspect behind the rampage is due to appear for the first time in court Thursday afternoon. Nikolas Cruz, 19, has been booked on 17 charges of premeditated murder at Broward County’s Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
President Trump spoke to the country prior to the hearing.
The developments Thursday follow a brutal day in Parkland, just up the road, where Cruz allegedly fired on unarmed students and teachers at the high school that had expelled him for disciplinary reasons. Authorities say he began the attack outdoors toward the end of the school day, working his way indoors using an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with “countless magazines,” smoke grenades and a gas mask.
Then, the fire alarm sounded — which “seemed odd,” NPR’s Greg Allen reports, “because there had already been a fire alarm that day.”
Greg explains what happened next:
“Soon teachers and students got the word: It was a code red. There was an active shooter in the school. In some classrooms, teachers made sure their doors were locked, lights turned off and students hidden in closets or under the desks.
“But thinking it was a drill, one student interviewed on television says her teacher led them out of the classroom before recognizing the danger. As he got them back into the classroom, she said he was shot and killed.”
SWAT teams were soon on the scene, evacuating students from the building. Before the hour was out, law enforcement had arrested Cruz, who had apparently left the premises. Cruz was first taken to the hospital for treatment before being returned to police custody.
“It was pretty chaotic, to be honest,” Broward County Mayor Beam Furr told Morning Edition on Thursday. “There were policemen from every one of our cities — we have 31 cities in Broward County, and I believe every force from the county was there. And as I arrived [yesterday] the kids were coming out, and the parents were beside themselves hoping to see their kids.”
Furr is not only the mayor of the county, but he also worked as a teacher in the local school district. He said the rampage Wednesday called to mind some of the kids he had taught in the classroom.
“You keep your eyes on those kids who become disconnected — you know, they’re out on the fringes. And as a teacher, you try to bring them in to the fold, so to speak, in one way or another,” he said. “It’s part of our mission to make sure that kids become part of the overall community — and when one gets away, it’s just sad.”
In a statement released Thursday, Trump said the country “grieves with those who have lost loved ones in the shooting.” He also proclaimed that the American flag be flown at half-staff at the White House and public buildings throughout the U.S.
“We will take such action as we’re able to take. We’ve got to reverse these trends we’re seeing in these shootings,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the Major County Sheriffs of America conference on Thursday.
“You and I know that we cannot arrest everybody that somebody thinks is dangerous,” he added. “But I think we can and we must do better. We owe it to every one of those kids crying outside their school yesterday and those who never made it out of their school.”
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