At Least 17 Dead, Dozens Injured In Florida High School Shooting

By Rafi Schwartz | February 14, 2018 | 8:54pm

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Police are on the lookout for a suspected gunman who has left at least one person dead and at least 20 people injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida.

The shooting, which occurred just before 3 PM on Wednesday, took place shortly before the end of the school day.

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According to local news station WSVN, local police confirmed they are looking at a student as a “person of interest” but have not identified that person publicly. The station also reported that the shooter was dressed in a black hat and pants, and a maroon or burgundy colored shirt. (UPDATE: The suspect, who is currently in law enforcement custody, has been identified by both the Associated Press and the Miami Herald as Nikolas Cruz.)

Update, 4:00 PM: Speaking with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, Florida Senator Bill Nelson claimed there were “many deaths” following the shooting.

President Donald Trump has also responded to the unfolding situation:

Update, 4:05 PM: Speaking with CBS, one Stoneman student claimed, “We thought it was a drill.”

“Some students thought it was not that serious,” the student added.

Update, 4:13 PM: The Broward County Sherrif’s Department tweeted that the shooter had been taken into custody.

Update, 4:25 PM: Footage from inside Stoneman obtained by CBS shows students hiding as gunshots are fired around them.

WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING FOOTAGE.

Update, 4:29 PM: Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie confirmed that there were “fatalities involved” in the shooting. The Broward Sheriff’s Department tweeted that there were “at least 14 victims.”

Runcie also said that there were police stationed at Stoneman High School at the time of the shooting.

Update, 4:51 PM: Speaking with NBC News, Stoneman parent Joel Leffler said the shooting took place in the school’s freshman building, where his daughter was.

“She’s in shock right now and she’s being taken out by SWAT,” Leffler told the network. “She saw multiple dead bodies.”

Update, 5:00 PM: Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said that the shooting suspect is a former Stoneman student who was not currently enrolled in the school.

Melissa Falkowski, a teacher at Stoneman, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the school had undergone an active shooter training exercise just several weeks earlier.

Update, 5:26 PM: Flanked by her mother, an 11th grade student who witnessed the shooting described her experience to local CBS affiliate WPEC. She said the gunman had shot into her classroom.

Late Wednesday afternoon, pictures from the shooting’s aftermath began to be shared by the Associated Press.

Update, 6:25 PM: Broward Sheriff Scott Israel announced at a press conference Wednesday evening that at least 17 people have died. Twelve of those people were killed inside the school, three were killed outside of it, and two died at the hospital. He was unable to confirm how many of those were students and how many were teachers.

Israel also said that the suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was expelled from Stoneman Douglas for disciplinary reasons. He is currently in the custody of the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Update, 8:00 PM: Broward Schools announced Wednesday evening that it has closed Stoneman Douglas for the rest of the week. Westglades Middle School, nearly adjacent to Stoneman Douglas, will remain open.

Update, 9:30 PM: Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said during a press conference Wednesday night that the state will “pay for the funeral expenses of these poor victims, and do everything we can to help their families.” She added that the state will also pay for counseling for survivors of the shooting, as well as for other students who might need it.

Correction: This post initially said the shooting took place on Tuesday. It took place on Wednesday.

This is a developing story and will be updated.