17 killed in Florida high school shooting

The Broward County, FL sheriff said 17 people were killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Twelve of the victims were shot in the school, two were shot outside of the building, one was killed on the road next to the school.

The victims were a mix of adults and students. Two of those shot succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.

Sheriff Scott Israel said Nicolas Cruz is in custody. He used an AR-15 style weapon and had multiple magazines on him when he was taken into custody. The 19-year-old former student was expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons.

"This is a terrible day," Israel said. "It's catastrophic."

People were transported to area hospitals with various levels of injuries, and Isreal did not confirm how many were injured, but did say two were in surgery. First responders treated those fleeing the school in triage areas.

Parents are still attempting to reach some of their children as police and tactical teams swept through the school, going building to building and clearing each room.

"I am sitting here in my car in this traffic jam just like, I wish my car could fly at the moment," said Simone Kuffner, whose son Shawn attends the high school.

Students, teachers, and staff streamed out of the school with their hands up in single file lines.

Israel said that the shooter, who was a former student, was both inside and outside the school during the attack.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said the shooter was arrested without incident about a mile away from the school.

Law enforcement and ambulances scrambled to the scene when shots were reported close to dismissal time, before 3 p.m. ET. Students told local media that they heard the fire alarm go off about 10 minutes before school let out.

The students then fled back inside the building as the shooting began, while others ran to nearby businesses.

Lissette Rozenblet told CNN her daughter evacuated to a nearby Walmart along with other students. Some parents said they were scared to call or text their children in case their phones were not on silent, afraid that a noise would alert the gunman to their child's presence.

A freshman at the school who also fled to the Walmart, Geovanni Vilsant, told the Miami Herald he saw at least three bodies on the ground as he fled the first floor of the building where shooting began.

"There was blood everywhere. They weren't moving," he said.

Melissa Falkowski, a teacher at the school, said she managed to put 19 students in a closet when the shooting began, she told CNN.

 "We got maybe 15 to 20 steps out of the classroom and we were told we were on 'Code Red' and we ran back inside to the classroom and got them crouched down on the floor," she said, "and then we moved into the closet and we were hidden in the closet."

Parkland is a city of about 30,000 people, about 15 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale, FL.

The FBI also is on the scene and investigating.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a tweet that he is aware of the situation.

“I’ve spoken with Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie and FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen regarding Stoneman Douglas High School,” Scott said. “We’ll continue to receive updates from law enforcement.”

The last reported shooting at a middle or high school in the U.S. was only a few weeks ago, on Feb. 1, at the Salvador B. Castro Middle School in downtown Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press.

A 12-year-old girl was arrested on charges of negligent discharge of a firearm on school grounds after a gun she’d brought to school went off, injuring four students.

President Trump issued a statement on Twitter.

The public high school has an enrollment of 3,158 students, and serves grades ninth through 12th.

Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted that it was a “terrible day” for his state.

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