The suspected gunman accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school this month tried to fire at fleeing students from the building’s third-floor windows, but the high-impact windows didn’t shatter, a state senator said.
State Sen. Bill Galvano said authorities told him it would have been easy for the suspect, identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, to open the windows.
“Thank God he didn’t,” Galvano said. He said he was given a tour of the school and was shown bullet marks on the glass.
After he fired several rounds, Cruz reportedly dropped his weapon and hid among the crowd as students and faculty evacuated Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Police captured Cruz over an hour later in Coral Springs, located about a mile away. He was taken to a local hospital and then released into police custody.
At least 17 people were killed during the shooting at the Florida high school.
(AP)
Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Fourteen others were wounded in the shooting, including several with life-threatening injuries.
Below is a timeline of events that detail how the shooting unfolded.
Wednesday, Feb. 14
2:06 p.m.
Cruz was picked up by an Uber, before he was dropped off at the high school at 2:19 p.m., a Wednesday timeline from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office showed.
2:21 p.m.
Cruz went into Building 12’s east stairwell with a rifle in a case, according to the timeline. He goes “through all three floors, shooting several students and faculty inside the classrooms and hallways of the building.”
2:28 p.m.
Cruz got out and ran in the direction of tennis courts before going south, according to the sheriff’s office. At 2:29 p.m., it said he crossed a field and ran west with other people.
2:35 p.m.
Students reportedly were texting about a shooter at the school.
2:50 p.m.
Cruz went into a Walmart and purchased a drink at a Subway inside and left the store, per the sheriff’s office timeline.
2:53 p.m.
Deputies responded to reports of a shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a tweet.
2:55 p.m.
WSVN, a local news station, reported that there were at least five people injured at the school.
2:56 p.m.
The sheriff’s office warned the public to “avoid the area of Stoneman Douglas HS” as authorities investigated reports of an active shooter.
3:01 p.m.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office timeline said Cruz went to a McDonald’s, sat down briefly and left.
3:10 p.m.
A student shared a photo to Twitter to show where he and other students were hiding.
3:11 p.m.
The sheriff’s office tweeted the shooter was still at large.
3:36 p.m.
Broward Schools said the school was on lockdown after students and faculty heard what sounded like gunfire.
3:40 p.m.
Broward Schools began dismissing students from the school.
“We are receiving reports of possible multiple injuries,” the school district tweeted. “Law enforcement and the District’s Special Investigative Unit are currently on site.”
3:41 p.m.
A Coconut Creek police officer detained Cruz in Coral Springs, the timeline indicated, adding that detectives with the sheriff’s office performed a show-up procedure.
3:50 p.m.
President Trump tweeted about the shooting, offering his “prayers and condolences.”
4:11 p.m.
The shooter was taken into custody, the sheriff’s office confirmed in a tweet, warning that the scene was still active.
4:22 p.m.
The sheriff’s office tweeted there were at least 14 “victims,” who “have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital.”
4:27 p.m.
The suspected shooter was taken to a local hospital.
4:50 p.m.
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson said there were “a number of fatalities.”
4:59 p.m.
Israel confirmed the shooter was not a current student at Stoneman Douglas High School.
In a separate tweet, the sheriff’s office said SWAT teams were still clearing the school.
5:39 p.m.
Students started to reunite with their parents.
6:27 p.m.
Sheriff Israel said 17 people were killed in the shooting.
6:29 p.m.
The sheriff’s office identified the shooting suspect as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.
8:24 p.m.
A local news reporter for WSVN tweeted a photo of the suspect being detained by police.
Thursday, Feb. 15
7:12 a.m.
Trump urged the public to always report suspicious behavior to authorities.
“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem,” Trump tweeted. “Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
10:49 a.m.
Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, Israel announced in a news conference.
11:22 a.m.
Trump addressed the nation, describing the massacre as a “scene of terrible violence, hatred, and evil.”
He vowed to work with state and local leaders to help “secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health.”
2:00 p.m.
Cruz made a court appearance on 17 counts of murder. The judge ordered him to be held without bond.
4:43 p.m.
Cruz confessed to arriving at the high school with an AR-15 rifle and a backpack of “additional loaded magazines” and told investigators he shot “students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds,” according to an arrest affidavit filed Thursday evening.
Friday, Feb. 16
Cruz may plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, his lawyer reportedly said Friday.
11:53 p.m.
On Friday, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited Broward Health North Hospital in Florida — the same hospital where many of the shooting victims were treated. The two met with survivors and medical professionals while they were there.
Later that evening, Trump tweeted photos of the visit.
Monday, Feb. 19
12:49 p.m.
Cruz arrived at a Fort Lauderdale courtroom for a hearing that started at 1 p.m. During the hearing, a judge ruled that already-sealed documents remain that way, WPTV reported.
10:30 p.m.
Broward County Public Schools announced that classes are slated to resume at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School “on a modified schedule” on Feb. 27.
Wednesday, Feb. 21
6:30 p.m.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said at a press conference Wednesday evening that county deputies who are qualified will now carry rifles on school campuses.
When the rifles are not in use, they will be locked in patrol cars, he said, adding that the school district’s superintendent supports his decision.
“Only deputies who are trained and qualified will carry those rifles. But we need to defeat any threat that comes onto campus,” he said.
The deputies will carry AR-15s, Israel said — the same type of gun that the suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz used. But the deputies’ rifles will not be fully automatic, he said, according to CBS News.
8:40 p.m.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump met with students and parents who have been affected by various school shootings. Many attendees pleaded with Trump to end gun violence at schools and suggested possible solutions.
Trump later tweeted about the discussion.
“I will always remember the time I spent today with courageous students, teachers and families,” he wrote. “So much love in the midst of so much pain. We must not let them down. We must keep our children safe!!”
Thursday, Feb. 22
5:13 p.m.
Israel kicked off a Thursday afternoon press conference, during which he said that school resource Deputy Scot Peterson was “absolutely on campus for this entire event.”
“He was armed, he was in uniform,” Israel said of the BSO deputy. “After seeing video, witness statements and Scot Peterson’s very own statement, I decided this morning to suspend Scot Peterson without pay pending an internal investigation.” He added, Peterson instead resigned and retired.
“The investigation will continue,” the sheriff announced.
Israel said that “what I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of Building 12, take up a position — and he never went in.”
He said that Peterson should have “went in, addressed the killer, killed the killer.”
Israel said he thought that Peterson stayed outside of the building “for upwards of four minutes.” He confirmed that the shooting lasted six minutes.
At one point during the briefing, a voice said, “He clearly knew there was a shooting.”
“Clearly,” the sheriff responded.
Fox News’ Shira Bush, Kathleen Joyce, Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
