19-year-old former student Nikolaus Cruz opened fire at a South Florida high school killing at least 17 people.

According to Broward County Sherriff department Cruz, had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida for disciplinary reasons.

Also On The Light 103.9 FM: </s> PARKLAND, FL (AP) - The Latest on a shooting at a Florida high school (all times local):

6:05 p.m.

 

A sheriff says 17 people have died in the shooting attack on a South Florida high school.

 

Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County says the 19-year-old suspect is in custody and that investigators are beginning to "dissect" what happened in the attack Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

 

He says the suspect, a former student, was previously expelled for disciplinary reasons.

 

Israel says the man had at least one rifle and multiple magazines.

 

He says most of the fatalities were inside the building though some were found fatally shot outside.

 

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5:40 p.m.

 

A man says he watched as officers arrested the suspect in the shooting at a Florida high school, where authorities are reporting numerous deaths.

 

Michael Nembhard told The Associated Press he was in his garage watching TV news coverage of the shooting when he heard a police officer repeatedly yelling, "get on the ground!"

 

Nembhard says he looked up to see a teenage boy on the ground about 150 yards (meters) away with an officer pointing a gun at him. The officer stood over the boy until other officers arrived, handcuffed him and led him away.

 

A federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity identified the suspect as Nicolas Cruz. The official says he wasn't authorized to discuss it publicly.

 

Cruz is 19 years old. He had previously attended the high school but was expelled for disciplinary reasons.

 

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5:20 p.m.

 

A federal official has identified the Florida school shooting suspect as Nicolas Cruz.

 

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official says he had been briefed on the investigation into the shooting at the South Florida high school, but was not authorized to discuss it publicly.

 

Authorities in Florida say the shooter opened fire at the school Wednesday afternoon, killing "numerous" people. The shooting sent frightened students running out into the streets and SWAT team members swarming the building.

 

Authorities later announced that they had taken a former student, about 18 years old, into custody after locating him off the school grounds.

 

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5 p.m.

 

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says the Florida high school shooting suspect is a former student about 18 years old.

 

He says the suspect was arrested without incident off school grounds in a nearby community. He didn't elaborate on when the suspect had attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parikland.

 

A shooter opened fire at the school Wednesday afternoon, killing "numerous" people, sending students running out into the streets and SWAT team members swarming in before authorities took the shooter into custody.

 

Israel says the FBI has arrived and will begin processing what he describes as "horrific scene."

 

He called it a "catastrophic day."

 

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4:40 p.m.

 

Parents described scenes of chaos as they rushed to find their frightened children after a shooting at a South Florida high school.

 

Caesar Figueroa says he was one of the first parents to arrive at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, seeking his 16-year-old daughter after the shooting there.

 

A shooter opened fire at the school Wednesday, killing several people and sending students running out into the streets as SWAT team members swarming in. Authorities later reported they had taken the shooting suspect into custody.

 

Figueroa says: "It was crazy and my daughter wasn't answering her phone."

 

According to Figueroa, she texted him that she was hidden in a school closet with friends after she heard gunshots.

 

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4:25 p.m.

 

A school official says there are numerous fatalities from the high school shooting in South Florida.

 

Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie says "There are numerous fatalities. It is a horrific situation." He added, "It is a horrible day for us."

 

The Broward County Sheriff's Office tweeted Wednesday afternoon that "so far we have at least 14 victims." The tweet added: "Victims have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital."

 

The sheriff's statement didn't elaborate on the victims or their injuries.

 

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4:15 p.m.

 

The White House has canceled its daily press briefing after a Florida high school shooting that sent students rushing into the streets.

 

President Donald Trump has spoken with Florida Gov. Rick Scott about the shooting. He says in a tweet that the White House is "working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting."

 

He earlier tweeted his condolences to the families of the victims.

 

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump has offered Florida federal assistance, if needed. The homeland security secretary has also been in touch with state and local officials.

 

Sanders says, "We continue to keep the victims, and their friends and family, in our thoughts and prayers."

 

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4:10 p.m.

 

Authorities say the shooter at a South Florida high school is now in custody.

 

The Broward County Sheriff's Office gave no details in briefly tweeting that development. It did not identify the shooting suspect nor say how the person was taken into custody.

 

Television footage showed police putting a person in the back of a police car outside the high school.

 

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4 p.m.

 

Parent John Obin says his son, a freshman at the South Florida high school where the shooting erupted, says his child was in class when he heard several shots. The father says his son advised that teachers quickly rushed students out of the school. He adds the boy told his father that he walked by two people on the ground motionless - and apparently dead - as students rushed outside.

 

"This is a really good school, and now it's like a war zone," Obin said

 

Coral Springs Police said on their Twitter account Wednesday that Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was locked down and that students and teachers inside should remain barricaded until police reach them.

 

Outside, televised news footage showed two people on stretchers and another person being treated on the ground at an intersection near the scene of the school. Paramedics were treating those who appeared to be students with injuries, but it wasn't clear how they were hurt. A few students were loaded into ambulances.

 

One unidentified student told a reporter at the scene that at first students thought it was a fire drill because they had heard fire alarms going off.

 

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3:55 p.m.

 

The shooting at a South Florida high school sent students rushing into the streets as SWAT team members swarmed in and locked down the building. Police were warning that the shooter was still at large even as ambulances converged on the scene and emergency workers appeared to be treating those possibly wounded.

 

Aerial television news footage showed police in olive fatigues, with weapons drawn, entering the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Then dozens of students could be seen frantically running and others quickly walking out. A police officer waved the students on, urging them to quickly evacuate the school.

 

Some students exited the building in single-file rows with hands raised overhead to show they carried no weapons. Others held onto other students as they made their way out past helmeted police in camouflage with weapons drawn.

 

Emergency medical personnel pulled stretchers from the backs of ambulances as police cars surrounded the parking lot. At least one person was seen being wheeled to the ambulance on a gurney. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were wounded.

 

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3:45 p.m.

 

Len Murray's 17-year-old son, a junior at the South Florida high school where shooting was reported, sent his parents a chilling text: "Mom and Dad, there have been shots fired on campus at school. There are police sirens outside. I'm in the auditorium and the doors are locked."

 

Those words came at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. A few minutes later, he texted again: "I'm fine."

 

Murray raced to the school only to be stopped by authorities under a highway overpass within view of the school buildings in Parkland.

 

No information was immediately given to parents, Len Murray says. And he says he remained worried for all those inside.

 

"I'm scared for the other parents here. You can see the concern in everybody's faces. Everybody is asking, 'Have you hard from your child yet?'"

 

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3:15 p.m.

 

Authorities say a shooter at a Florida high school is still at large.

 

The Broward Sheriff's Office shared the information on its Twitter account after Wednesday afternoon's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

 

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were wounded.

 

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2:30 p.m.

 

Authorities say they're responding to a shooting at a Florida high school.

 

The Broward Sheriff's Office has told news outlets the shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

 

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were wounded. </s> This is what we know so far about a shooting at a high school in Florida which has left multiple people dead.

- At least 17 people have died after a gunman opened fire at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Wednesday afternoon.

- Authorities responded to reports of a shooting at about 2.30pm.

- The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. He was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.

READ MORE: 17 dead in mass shooting at US high school

- Sheriff Scott Israel, of Broward County, said Cruz was a former student at the school who was previously expelled for disciplinary reasons.

- The sheriff said the gunman had at least one AR-15 rifle as well as multiple magazines.

- He told reporters that an attack began outside the school.

- 12 people were found dead inside the building, two were found just outside the school and another was found dead in a nearby street. A further two people died later while receiving medical treatment.

- 16 injured people were taken to hospital - the two who later died among that number.

- US president Donald Trump tweeted his condolences saying: “No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.” </s> Seventeen people are dead after a shooting at a south Florida high school on Wednesday. The man suspected has been identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.

Here's what we know about him:

Cruz is a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the shooting happened. He was expelled due to disciplinary issues.

Cruz had multiple magazines and one AR-15 rifle.

Cruz started shooting outside and then went inside the school.

Law enforcement has been looking at his social media. They say "Some of the things ... are very, very disturbing."

According to USA Today, teachers and former students say Cruz had an angry disposition that led to him being expelled and flagged as a danger on school grounds. He had previously attracted so much concern that school administrators banned him from campus, said Jim Gard, a math teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, USA Today reports.

Cruz' former classmates say he had a hot temper and a history of making dark, gun-related jokes, according to USA Today.

Cruz is in custody. Of the seventeen fatalities, 12 happened inside the school, two just outside the school, one on street and two people died at the hospital. </s> Broward County, Fla. – A hearing is being held for Parkland School shooter Nicholas Cruz.

According to CNN, the defense is expected to waive a speedy trial and a court date may be set.

Cruz, 19, is the main suspect in the killing of 17 people at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, back on February 14.

Cruz faces 17 counts of first degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Prosecution in the case will be seeking the death penalty.

Nikolas Cruz and his brother might have $1 million in bank, attorney says </s> Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old man suspected of gunning down at least 17 people Wednesday at a Parkland, Florida, high school, had once been expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said.

Hours after the gunman opened fire on students and staff near the end of the day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, details began to emerge about the former student behind one of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.

Here is what is known about the suspect so far:

Cruz was expelled from the high school for unspecified disciplinary reasons, said officials, who provided different spellings of Cruz’s first name throughout the day.

Officials are examining Cruz’s digital profile, which contained what Israel described as “very, very disturbing” content.

Cruz was taken into custody without incident in nearby Coral Springs after the shootings, according to Israel.

The suspect has been talking to investigators, according to a law enforcement source.

Police said Cruz was armed with multiple magazines and at least one AR-15 style rifle.

Law enforcement sources told CNN the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is tracing the.223 caliber, AR-15 style firearm used in the shootings.

Investigators believe the suspect pulled the school’s fire alarm to draw people out and get a higher death toll, according to a law enforcement source.

There had been a fire drill at the school earlier in the day, leading some to believe at first that the afternoon incident was another drill, a student told CNN affiliate WSVN. “Everyone just started freaking out.”

“But then word started going around that it was shots and not just, like, something else, everyone just started running towards the canal,” the student said. </s> A Florida judge has ordered that the suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a high school will be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, was wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed at his waist during the Thursday afternoon hearing.

His attorney did not contest the order and had her arm around Cruz during the brief court appearance.

Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. </s> Crosses are seen in a park to commemorate the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland - REUTERS

Two teenagers who survived America's deadliest high school shooting have committed suicide in the last week, bringing fresh tragedy to the Florida community.

A 17-year-old boy who attended the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida - where 17 people were killed last year - died on Saturday in what police are treating as a suicide.

The boy, who has not been named, was in his second year of high school and reportedly died from a gun shot wound to the head.

It comes just days after Sydney Aiello, a 19-year-old recent graduate of the school, took her own life. Ms Aiello's family said the teenager had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered from survivor’s guilt after the shooting, in which one of her best friends, Meadow Pollack, was shot dead.

Former student Nikolas Cruz entered the high school armed with a semi-automatic rifle on February 14, 2018 and left 14 students and three staff members dead, with 17 others wounded.

Sydney, who was not in the room during the shooting, went on to study at Florida Atlantic University but struggled to attend classes because she was afraid of being in a classroom.

Meadow's father Andrew Pollack, who has since become a gun reform activist, told the Miami Herald "Meadow and Sydney were friends for a long, long time".

"It’s terrible what happened," he said. "Killing yourself is not the answer".

The fresh tragedy has drawn calls in Florida for increased spending on suicide prevention programmes and more mental health services for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school community.

More than 60 local school, child services and law enforcement officials met with teachers and parents for an emergency meeting on Sunday.

"Now is the time for the Florida Legislature to help," said Jared Moskowitz, Florida’s emergency management director and a former state representative from Parkland.

Another survivor, David Hogg, who has become a prominent gun control advocate since the massacre, added his voice to calls.

"How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government/school district to do anything?" he tweeted.

The city's mayor Christine Hunschofsky said Monday that officials are publicising the available counseling services.

In a separate development, the father of a 6-year-old killed in the Sandy Hook school massacre died of an apparent suicide on Monday.

Jeremy Richman's body was found in his Connecticut office building Monday morning, Newtown police said.

Mr Richman, 49, had dedicated his time to helping prevent mass shootings after his daughter Avielle was among 20 children and six adults killed in the elementary school in 2012.

Police said they will not disclose the method or any other details surrounding Mr Richman's death but said that it does not appear to be suspicious. </s> The Associated Press is reporting that the suspect in custody from Wednesday's mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida is ex-student Nikolaus Cruz. Cruz was arrested nearly one hour after Wednesday's massacre began, according to the Broward County Sheriff.

Cruz was said to have been a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Cruz was caught in a nearby town, and was taken to a hospital after being arrested.

As of Wednesday evening, there have been 17 reported fatalities, and multiple injuries, the Broward County Sheriff said in a press conference.

According to the Miami Herald, the ex-student had been flagged as a threat, one teacher told the paper.

“We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him,” math teacher Jim Gard told the Herald. “There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus.”

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said that Cruz had an AR-15 type weapon, and countless magazines in his possession.
A shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, leaves 17 people dead (14 of whom were teenagers), and 15 others wounded. The suspect is apprehended and identified as 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz. This is the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history.