Parkland high school shooting: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:34, 16 February 2018
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting | |
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Part of school shootings in the United States | |
![]() Pine Island Road entrance to Stoneman Douglas High School, in 2008 | |
Location | Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School 5901 Pine Island Road Parkland, Florida, U.S. |
Coordinates | 26°18′19″N 80°16′06″W / 26.3053°N 80.2683°W |
Date | February 14, 2018 2:40 p.m. (EST) |
Attack type | School shooting, mass shooting |
Weapons | Modern sporting rifle |
Deaths | 17 |
Injured | 14 |
Charges | 17 counts of capital murder |
On February 14, 2018, a mass shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, United States. 17 people were killed and 15 more hospitalized, making it one of the world's deadliest school massacres.[1][2] Nikolas Cruz, the man arrested as the shooter, is in custody of the Broward County Sheriff's Office, charged with seventeen counts of premeditated murder.
Social media posts by Cruz showed him joking about shooting people with his AR-15, and he allegedly promised retribution against police officers and anti-fascist organizations.[3] Although no motivations have been offered by prosecutors or police, factors being looked into include "a pattern of disciplinary issues and unnerving behavior".[4]
This attack is the deadliest shooting to take place at an American high school, surpassing the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in which 15 people died, nearly 19 years prior.[5] It is tied with the 1966 University of Texas tower shooting as the third-deadliest school shooting in the United States, only behind the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting (which killed 27) and the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting (which killed 32).
The shooting occurred on the ten-year anniversary of the 2008 Northern Illinois University shooting, which killed five.[6] It is also the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history in which the perpetrator was arrested alive.
Shooting
The shooting took place during the afternoon of February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At approximately 2:40 p.m. EST, near dismissal time, staff and students heard gunfire and enacted a "code red" lockdown.[7]
The shooter activated a fire alarm while wearing a gas mask and carrying smoke grenades.[8][9] He was armed with a .223 caliber AR-15 style rifle and multiple magazines.[10][11]
He briefly escaped by blending in with students fleeing the school before being tracked by school security camera recordings and arrested without incident in nearby Coral Springs.[12] A United States government official said the rifle used in the shooting was purchased legally after passing a background check.[13]
Victims
- Alyssa Alhadeff, aged 14
- Scott Beigel, aged 35
- Martin Duque, aged 14
- Nicholas Dworet, aged 17
- Aaron Feis, aged 37
- Jaime Guttenberg, aged 14
- Chris Hixon, aged 49
- Luke Hoyer, aged 15
- Cara Loughran, aged 14
- Gina Montalto, aged 14
- Joaquin Oliver, aged 17
- Alaina Petty, aged 14
- Meadow Pollack, aged 18
- Helena Ramsay, aged 17
- Alex Schachter, aged 14
- Carmen Schentrup, aged 16
- Peter Wang, aged 15
Seventeen students and staff were killed and many others injured, including at least 15 (including the suspect) who were hospitalized.[10][15] Three people remained in critical condition the next day.[16] Of those killed, 12 died in the school, two just outside the school buildings, one on the street and two at the hospital.[10]
Suspect
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Nikolas_Cruz.png/150px-Nikolas_Cruz.png)
The suspected shooter was identified as Nikolas Jacob Cruz,[17][18][19] a 19-year-old former student of the school. His former math teacher said an email from the school administration had circulated among teachers, warning that Cruz had made threats against other students, leading to his ban from wearing a backpack on campus. He was later expelled for apparently fighting with the boyfriend of his former girlfriend.[20][18][21]
Cruz was a member of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), which awarded him multiple times for outstanding academic performance.[13] A former classmate said Cruz had a lot of anger management issues and often joked about guns and gun-related violence, including "shooting up establishments".[22] Another described him as "super stressed-out all the time and talked about guns a lot and tried to hide his face".[23] A current student said, "I think everyone had in their minds if anybody was going to do it, it was going to be him."[23] Another classmate described him as a loner without many friends, saying, "He told me how he got kicked out of two private schools. He was held back twice. He had aspirations to join the military. He enjoyed hunting."[13] Cruz also bragged about killing animals. A neighbor said Cruz's mother would call the police over to the house to try to "talk some sense" into him.[24]
Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County described Cruz's online profiles and accounts as "very, very disturbing." They contained numerous pictures and posts of him with a variety of weapons, including long knives, a shotgun, a pistol, and a BB gun. His YouTube videos included violent threats, such as "I wanna die Fighting killing shit ton of people."[13] He left a comment on another user's YouTube video on September 24 2017, stating "I'm going to be a professional school shooter",[25] which prompted the user to report him to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[26]
Nikolas was adopted at birth by Lynda Cruz and her husband, the latter of whom died during Nikolas's childhood of a heart attack. His adoptive mother died on November 1, 2017, from influenza and pneumonia. He had been living with relatives and friends since her death. Cruz had previously been receiving mental health services. However, he stopped going and never returned.[13][27]
After he was taken into police custody, Cruz was charged with seventeen counts of premeditated murder. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.[28] An initial arraignment hearing was scheduled for February 16.[29]
Aftermath
First responders established a triage tent outside the school.[15] The school district provided grief counseling to students and their families. Additionally, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said costs of funerals and counseling would be covered by the state.[30]
President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Rick Scott were briefed on the shooting.[8] Trump offered his prayers and condolences to the victims’ families, writing that "no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school".[31][32] Scott ordered flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff.[33] Trump then later ordered flags be flown at half-staff for the entire United States.[34]
Three counties of Florida and Virginia increased police presence at schools on February 15 in response to the shooting.[35][36][37]
Professor and educational psychologist David Berliner called for a national teachers' strike on May 1. Berliner writes: "If by May 1st [the teachers and parents] have not received assurance that the legislation for sanity in gun ownership will be acted on soon, they need to walk out of our schools. It would be May Day, when workers should exert their strength."[38]
See also
- Assault weapons legislation in the United States
- List of attacks related to secondary schools
- List of rampage killers (school massacres)
- Federal Assault Weapons Ban
References
- ^ Laughland, Oliver; Luscombe, Richard; Yuhas, Alan (February 15, 2018). "Florida school shooting: at least 17 people dead on 'horrific, horrific day'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Earl, Jennifer (February 14, 2018). "Florida school shooting among 10 deadliest in modern US history". Fox News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Florida school shooting: Nikolas Cruz's digital profile 'very, very disturbing' - Cable News Network". cnn.com. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Rozsa, Lori; Berman, Mark; Barrett, Devlin (February 15, 2018). "'A day of mourning': Florida school shooting suspect denied bond, charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Hanks, Douglas; Alex Harris (February 14, 2018). "Worse than Columbine: This is one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history". Miami Herald. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ "NIU pauses to remember mass shooting 10 years ago". Daily Herald. February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Fleshler, David; Chokey, Aric; Huriash, Lisa J.; Trischitta, Linda (February 14, 2018). "Florida school shooting leaves 17 dead as gunman stalked halls". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Zwirz, Elizabeth (February 14, 2018). "Parkland high school shooting: At least 17 killed, suspect in custody, Florida sheriff says". Fox News. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Suspect, Nikolas Cruz, in custody in Parkland school shooting in Florida". CBS News. February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ a b c Grinberg, Emanuella; Levenson, Eric (February 14, 2018). "At least 17 dead in Florida school shooting, law enforcement says". CNN. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Shapiro, Emily (February 14, 2018). "At least 17 dead in 'horrific' Florida school shooting, suspect had 'countless magazines'". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Slayton, Ashley M. (February 14, 2018). "Doctor: Hospitals treating 16 shooting victims; 17 fatalities also confirmed". Tyler, Texas: KLTV. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e Park, Madison. "Social media paints picture of racist 'professional school shooter'". CNN. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Levenson, Eric (February 15, 2018). "These are the victims of the Florida school shooting". CNN. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Burke, Peter; Batchelor, Amanda; Suarez, Carlos; Mohan, Neki; Seiden, Michael (February 14, 2018). "17 killed in shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School". WPLG. Miami, Florida. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Micklethwaite, James (February 15, 2018). "Florida school shooter who killed 17 and injured 50 named as ex-pupil Nikolas Cruz". Daily Star.
- ^ "https://www.cbsnews.com/news/parkland-florida-shooting-nikolas-cruz-continued-coverage-2018-02-15-live-updates/" CBS News. February 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Teproff, Carli; Herrera, Chabeli; Smiley, David (February 14, 2018). "17 dead, 15 wounded after expelled student shoots up Stoneman Douglas High in Broward". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Broward County Sheriff [@browardsheriff] (February 14, 2018). "Correction: suspect's name is spelled Nikolas Cruz #StonemanShooting" (Tweet). Retrieved February 14, 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ Kelli, Kennedy (February 14, 2018). "Here's what we know about Nikolas Cruz, the Florida school shooting suspect". Boston. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ De Moraes, Lisa (February 14, 2018). "Police: At Least 17 Dead In Florida High School Shooting; Ex-Student In Custody, ID'd – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "'I'm sick to my stomach': 17 dead in Florida high school shooting; former student in custody". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Darrah, Nicole (February 14, 2018). "Nikolas Cruz was living with Florida high school student in months leading up to shooting, attorney says". Fox News.
- ^ Haag, Matthew; Kovaleski, Serge F. (February 14, 2018). "Nikolas Cruz, Florida Shooting Suspect, Was Expelled From School". The New York Times. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ BenTheBondsman (February 14, 2018), The FBI came to visit me today about Nikolas Cruz, retrieved February 16, 2018
- ^ "The FBI Was Warned About A School Shooting Threat From A YouTube User Named Nikolas Cruz In September". BuzzFeed. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ "Nikolas Cruz: Troubled suspect had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018.
Adopted at birth by a loving older couple, Nikolas Cruz seemed to struggle in recent years. His dad died when he was much younger and the 19-year-old's mom died just 3 ½ months ago, neighbors, friends and family members said.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Florida Shooting: Nikolas Cruz Is Charged With 17 Counts of Murder". The New York Times. February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Lockie, Alex. "Suspect in Florida shooting could face death penalty for 17 counts of premeditated murder". Business Insider. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Gonzales, Richard (February 14, 2018). "Sheriff's Office Reports 17 People Dead In South Florida High School Shooting". NPR. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Schwartz, Rafi (February 14, 2018). "At Least One Dead, Dozens Injured In Florida High School Shooting (DEVELOPING)". Splinter News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Trump, Donald J. (February 14, 2018). "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". @realDonaldTrump. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Flesher, David; Chokey, Aric; Huriash, Lisa J.; Trischitta, Linda (February 14, 2018). "Seventeen killed in South Florida high school shooting". Sun-Sentinel. Broward County, Florida. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Trump orders flags at half staff to honor Florida massacre victims". New York Post. February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ Pimpo Jr., Stephen (February 15, 2018). "Public schools in Stafford County, Va. increase security following Florida shooting". WJLA. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Marino, Amanda (February 14, 2018). "Collier County sheriff, superintendent announce increased security". WFTX. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Nealeigh, Sara (February 15, 2018). "After mass shooting, more security at Manatee County schools". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ Berliner, David (February 14, 2018). "David Berliner Calls for a National Teachers' Strike on May Day to Demand Sensible Gun Laws". Diane Ravitch's blog. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Quotations related to Stoneman Douglas High School shooting at Wikiquote
- "From Superintendent Robert W. Runcie–Today’s Tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School." - Broward County Public Schools
- "UPDATE –Regarding Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School February 14, 2018, 9 p.m.." - Broward County Public Schools
- 2018 in Florida
- 2018 mass shootings in the United States
- Broward County, Florida
- Deaths by firearm in Florida
- February 2018 crimes
- February 2018 events in the United States
- Mass shootings in Florida
- School massacres in the United States
- School shootings committed by adults
- High school shootings in the United States
- School shootings in the United States