The man suspected of killing 17 persons at a Florida high school shooting was caught shortly after committing the crime and has been charged.
Nikolas Cruz, aged 19 blended with fleeing students to escape after spraying hundreds of bullets with a AR-15-style rifle but was arrested by police officers at a nearby location.
After his arrest, Cruz admitted to the detectives that he had been the gunman who had entered the school campus and had shot students in hallways. He also informed them that he had hidden additional loaded magazines in a backpack till he started his assault.
The suspect was seen at his first court appearance later in the day facing charges related to premeditated murder of 17 students and faculty of the school.
Judge Kim Theresa Mollica has ordered the suspect to be held without bond. He is being represented by a public defender lawyer Melissa McNeill.
Victim of Emotional Trauma
Earlier Chief Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weekes said that the suspect was a “deeply troubled child” who has suffered “a lot of emotional trauma”. According to him, Cruz began “spiraling downward” after his mother died in November.
McNeill said that Cruz was “sad, mournful and remorseful” but he was “fully aware” of ongoing events.
Cruz had been expelled last year from the school for fighting.
Opened Fire Through School Hallways
According to court filings, after arriving at the school using an Uber car, he set off a fire alarm in an area containing freshmen students, and then went around the hallways opening fire on fleeing students.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said in addition to the 17 killed, 15 others were injured and taken to local hospitals. Among those killed was a popular coach and security guard, Aaron Feis who stepped in front of one spray of bullets to protect his students
The assault is now United States’ deadliest school shooting after a gunman attacked a Connecticut elementary school around five years ago.
Troubled Past
According to a student, Victoria Olvera, Cruz had been expelled after a fight with the boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend . He had attended another school in the county after his removal.
Authorities have said that the AR-15 rifle used by him had been purchased legally about a year ago.
Cruz’s mother Lynda Cruz had died in November of pneumonia , friends and family members have said, as per media reports. His father had died of heart attack a few years earlier.
Nikolas as well as his biological brother, Zachary, had been adopted by the couple after their move to Florida from New York.
After their mother’s’ death, the boys were being cared for by a family friend .Nikolas Cruz however later asked to shift in with a friend’s family and moved in around Thanksgiving. The friend’s family said that they had known of Cruz possessing the AR-15, but it had been kept locked up in a cabinet for which though he had a key.
Broward County Mayor Beam Furr said in a media interview that the shooter had been undergoing treatment at a mental health clinic for some time but not recently.
Several Warning Signs Some Allege
According to a Miami Herald report a math teacher Jim Gard has said that Cruz had been possibly flagged off as a potential threat. Gard stated that the school had sent out a warning via email to teachers that Cruz must not be permitted on campus with a backpack.
Broward County School District Superintendent Robert Runcie however has denied any knowledge of threats posed by Cruz.
According to Cruz’s previous classmates he had a short temper as well as a reputation for “dark, gun-related jokes”. One friend said that he had been close with Cruz and had noticed that he(Cruz) had been turning progressively “weird.”
He also stated that Cruz had previously posted on Instagram regarding killing animals and also that he had talked about doing target practice with a pellet gun.
Widespread Support For Families
A GoFundMe fund has been set up for benefit of the victims and their families. Florida Gov. Rick Scott met the families of the victims and expressed his anguish.
He has said that he would work with lawmakers to see how persons with mental illness have limited access to weapons.
