Massacre at Florida High School Leaves 17 Dead; Many More Injured
A former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, Feb. 14. At least 17 adults and students were killed, marking it as one of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
According to CNN, Florida Governor Rick Scott had ordered the government flags flown at half- staff through Monday in honor of the victims in the incident. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is located in Parkland, Florida and is a public school of about 3,000 students.
The high school remained closed for the remainder of the week, and the district has offered counseling to students and their families.
Photo provided by Broward County Sheriff’s Office
The suspect—19-year-old Nikolas Cruz—was expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons. He was arraigned on Thursday and charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and ordered held without bond.
A short time after 2:00 p.m., law enforcement responded to reports of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. When they arrived, they entered a disturbing scene.
According to Fox News, the suspect pulled the fire alarm to draw people out of classrooms in order to increase the number of victims.
Though some evacuated the building, other students and faculty members took cover inside classrooms and the school went into lock down.
According to law enforcement, the suspect initially tried to blend in with the crowd of students to try to get away. Cruz was taken into police custody not far from the school after allegedly going shopping at a nearby Walmart.
Twelve people died inside the school, two died outside, one died in the street, and two died at the hospital. At least 15 are still recovering from wounds sustained during the shooting.
President Trump tweeted, “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.”
Parkland is known for its luxury homes and safe neighborhoods. In 2017, the city was named one of the safest in Florida.