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| Florida shooting: 17 confirmed dead in 'horrific' attack on high school – live | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| More from the sheriff’s press conference: | |
| -Twelve victims were killed in the building, two just outside, one in the street and two died in hospital. | |
| -The suspect Nikolaus Cruz, 19, was expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons. | |
| -He had countless magazines and an AR-15 rifle. | |
| The sheriff has just confirmed that 17 people are dead. | |
| The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Nikolaus Cruz. | |
| Oliver Laughland is reporting from the rendezvous point for families and students in south Florida, and has spoken with a student who managed to escape the school. | |
| As emergency helicopters hovered overhead, dozens of police squad cars blocked the road outside the Stoneman Douglas High School. | |
| Dozens of family members had congregated underneath an archway beside the school, anxiously waiting for their children who remained inside. By Wednesday evening the Swat operation to clear the high school, which enrolls close to 3,000 pupils, was not over. | |
| A 15 year-old student who did not want to be named told the Guardian he had been in the same building where the gunman opened fire. | |
| “I heard three gunshots,” the student said. “And then some more down the corridor.” | |
| “We shut our classroom door and stood to the side of it so we wouldn’t be seen. Twenty minutes later the police broke in through the glass,” he said. “I was terrified.” | |
| Erica Lafferty, whose mother, Dawn Hochsprung, principal of Sandy Hook elementary school, died in the 2012 mass shooting, has responded to Donald Trump’s tweet saying “no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school”. | |
| You’re right. I’ve been saying this since my mom was murdered at #SandyHook in 2012. So, is it finally time to talk #gunsense? I’m happy to share my experience with you to help brainstorm solutions. https://t.co/z1VFQI19rW | |
| Here’s a breakdown of school shootings so far this year: | |
| So far in 2018: -8 shootings at American schools that resulted in injury or death-2 gun suicides on a school campus-8 times a gun was fired on school property, but hit no onehttps://t.co/rWmqMiS9gn | |
| Teacher Melissa Falkowski, who hid in a closet at the school before she was able to get away, told CNN: “This is the worst nightmare scenario, horrible. ... Society failed those people today.” | |
| She said she hid 19 students in a closet. | |
| Caesar Figueroa told the Associated Press he was one of the first parents to arrive at the school and saw police officers bring out large weapons as they approached. He told the AP: | |
| My wife called me that there was an active shooter and the school was on lockdown. I got on the road and saw helicopters, police with machine guns. It was crazy and my daughter wasn’t answering her phone.” | |
| Figueroa said his 16-year-old daughter texted him that she was hidden inside a closet at school with friends: “She was in a classroom and she heard gunshots by the window. She and her friends ran into the closet.” | |
| Beth Feingold told the AP that her daughter sent a text at 2:32 pm saying “We’re on code red. I’m fine.” The daughter later texted: “Mom, I’m so scared.” | |
| The girl was eventually able to leave the school and was not injured. | |
| More from sherrif Scott Israel’s press conference: | |
| We believe at this point that all children we know about are cleared and are outside the building. However, we don’t know if there are injured people, we don’t know if there are people hiding. So we will not begin to open up the crime scene until the Swat component says the school is safe and clear.” | |
| He also said the shooting was personal: “My very own triplets went to that school and graduated from Stoneman Douglas. They played football at that school, so it’s catastrophic. There really are no words.” | |
| Florida governor Rick Scott also said he is now on his way to Broward County: | |
| On my way to Broward County now to be briefed on the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by local law enforcement and emergency management officials. pic.twitter.com/lFVR5d8NLy | |
| Seven weeks into the new year, there have been eight shootings at American schools that have resulted in injury or death. Less than a month ago, a 15-year-old student opened fire at a high school in Kentucky, leaving two students dead and eighteen injured. Other incidents have been smaller: in early February, one student in Los Angeles was shot in the head, and another in the arm, when a gun concealed in a fellow student’s backpack went off. “We’re lessening the threshold of how crazy someone needs to be to commit a mass shooting,” Austin Eubanks, who survived the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, told the Guardian last fall in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting. Eubanks said he has watched the increasing pace of mass shootings with fear and anxiety. The latest school shooting comes as Gays Against Guns, one of the many gun control groups formed in the wake of one of America’s mass shootings, were delivering “bloody Valentines” to members of Congress in Washington to push for stricter gun laws.Congress has refused to tighten restrictions on gun ownership, even after 20 children and six educators were massacred in 2012 in an elementary school in Connecticut. The fifth year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting last December passed quietly, with Congressional Republicans refusing to pass new gun control laws, and instead pushing for a law that would weaken gun restrictions nationwide and make it easier to carry a concealed weapon across state lines. | |
| Donald Trump won the White House campaigning on a promise to support the National Rifle Association and oppose any limits to Americans’ right to own guns. In all, guns have been fired on school property in America at least 18 times this year, according to incidents tracked by Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group. In eight of these cases, a gun was fired on school property, but no one was injured. Another two incidents were gun suicides, claiming the lives of one student and one adult on school property. | |
| The shooter, who has still not been named, was a former student of the high school, according to the Broward sheriff Scott Israel. The sheriff said the suspect is around 18 years old and apprehended off campus and taken into custody without incident. | The shooter, who has still not been named, was a former student of the high school, according to the Broward sheriff Scott Israel. The sheriff said the suspect is around 18 years old and apprehended off campus and taken into custody without incident. |
| NEW from @browardsheriff Scott Israel:- "Multiple" people are dead- Suspect was apprehended off-campus- Suspect is a former student pic.twitter.com/5B4ue9pbT5 | NEW from @browardsheriff Scott Israel:- "Multiple" people are dead- Suspect was apprehended off-campus- Suspect is a former student pic.twitter.com/5B4ue9pbT5 |
| Here’s what we know so far about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida: | Here’s what we know so far about the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida: |
| Police said there are “at least 14 victims”, but have not specified the number of injuries and casualties. | Police said there are “at least 14 victims”, but have not specified the number of injuries and casualties. |
| School officials have also said there were “numerous fatalities”, but did not provide a specific count. | School officials have also said there were “numerous fatalities”, but did not provide a specific count. |
| A suspect has been taken into custody, but the authorities have not yet revealed the identity of the individual apprehended. | A suspect has been taken into custody, but the authorities have not yet revealed the identity of the individual apprehended. |
| Disturbing footage from inside the school showed students hiding in classrooms as loud and repeated gunshots were heard nearby. | Disturbing footage from inside the school showed students hiding in classrooms as loud and repeated gunshots were heard nearby. |
| Victims are being taken to Broward County medical centers. | Victims are being taken to Broward County medical centers. |
| A Swat team was still clearing the school as of 5pm local time. | A Swat team was still clearing the school as of 5pm local time. |
| US senator Chris Murphy has addressed the shooting on the floor of the Senate: | US senator Chris Murphy has addressed the shooting on the floor of the Senate: |
| Turn on your television right now, you’re going to see scenes of children running for their lives. It’s what looks to be the [18th] school shooting in this country, and we have not even hit March. Let me just note once again for my colleagues: this happens nowhere else other than the United States of America. We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else. As a parent, it scares me to death that this body doesn’t take seriously the safety of my children, and it seems like a lot of parents in South Florida are going to be asking that same question later today.” | Turn on your television right now, you’re going to see scenes of children running for their lives. It’s what looks to be the [18th] school shooting in this country, and we have not even hit March. Let me just note once again for my colleagues: this happens nowhere else other than the United States of America. We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else. As a parent, it scares me to death that this body doesn’t take seriously the safety of my children, and it seems like a lot of parents in South Florida are going to be asking that same question later today.” |
| Sen. Chris Murphy addresses Florida school shooting on Senate floor: "Let me just note once again for my colleagues...We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else." https://t.co/fl7GP76ZB1 pic.twitter.com/SSU76XwVuB | Sen. Chris Murphy addresses Florida school shooting on Senate floor: "Let me just note once again for my colleagues...We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else." https://t.co/fl7GP76ZB1 pic.twitter.com/SSU76XwVuB |
| More from Robert Runcie, Broward County superintendent of schools: | More from Robert Runcie, Broward County superintendent of schools: |
| There’s going to be a thorough investigation. Typically you see in these situations that there potentially could have been signs out there. I would be speculating at this point if there were, but we didn’t have any warnings, there weren’t any phone calls or threats that we know of... | There’s going to be a thorough investigation. Typically you see in these situations that there potentially could have been signs out there. I would be speculating at this point if there were, but we didn’t have any warnings, there weren’t any phone calls or threats that we know of... |
| We cannot live in a world that’s built on fear. We have to do what we can to make sure that we provide the greatest safety measures we can for our kids, but ... mental health issues in this country are growing and they’re a big challenge that’s going to need top be addressed in our school systems as well as in broader society to ensure these kind of tragedies don’t continue. We’ve got to be able to recognize individuals in distress... | We cannot live in a world that’s built on fear. We have to do what we can to make sure that we provide the greatest safety measures we can for our kids, but ... mental health issues in this country are growing and they’re a big challenge that’s going to need top be addressed in our school systems as well as in broader society to ensure these kind of tragedies don’t continue. We’ve got to be able to recognize individuals in distress... |
| My prayers and heartfelt sorrow goes out to the families and this entire community.” | My prayers and heartfelt sorrow goes out to the families and this entire community.” |
| The White House canceled its daily briefing in response to the shooting, and Donald Trump tweeted his condolences, saying “no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school”. | The White House canceled its daily briefing in response to the shooting, and Donald Trump tweeted his condolences, saying “no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school”. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Just spoke to Governor Rick Scott. We are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting. | Just spoke to Governor Rick Scott. We are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting. |
| Footage from inside the school has emerged. Warning: the video is disturbing. The footage captured students inside a classroom screaming as loud gunshots are heard nearby. The cellphone video did not capture any injuries, but showed what it was like to be hiding nearby. From CBS: | Footage from inside the school has emerged. Warning: the video is disturbing. The footage captured students inside a classroom screaming as loud gunshots are heard nearby. The cellphone video did not capture any injuries, but showed what it was like to be hiding nearby. From CBS: |
| JUST IN (warning, disturbing video): Cell phone video inside the school as shots were going off at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High https://t.co/wHWo6XjccX pic.twitter.com/3ovf5LhzBs | JUST IN (warning, disturbing video): Cell phone video inside the school as shots were going off at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High https://t.co/wHWo6XjccX pic.twitter.com/3ovf5LhzBs |
| The news station also interviewed a parent who described the scene as a “war zone”: | The news station also interviewed a parent who described the scene as a “war zone”: |
| NEW: Parent of student trapped in the school tells @jeffglor "it's like a war zone here" during our @CBSNews Special Report pic.twitter.com/aK1TOnSGfn | NEW: Parent of student trapped in the school tells @jeffglor "it's like a war zone here" during our @CBSNews Special Report pic.twitter.com/aK1TOnSGfn |
| Robert Runcie, Broward County’s superintendent of schools, has confirmed that there were fatalities, telling reporters: | Robert Runcie, Broward County’s superintendent of schools, has confirmed that there were fatalities, telling reporters: |
| It’s a horrific situation. It’s just a horrible day for us. ... It’s a day you pray every day we will never have to see. It is in front of us and I ask the community for their prayers and support for these children and their families. We’re going to do whatever we can as a community to pull through this, and we will. | It’s a horrific situation. It’s just a horrible day for us. ... It’s a day you pray every day we will never have to see. It is in front of us and I ask the community for their prayers and support for these children and their families. We’re going to do whatever we can as a community to pull through this, and we will. |
| Runcie said there was no evidence of a second shooter, and that he couldn’t yet release details about the suspect who has been apprehended. | Runcie said there was no evidence of a second shooter, and that he couldn’t yet release details about the suspect who has been apprehended. |
| There are “at least” 14 victims, according to the Broward county sheriff’s office, which said the victims are being transported to hospitals. It’s unclear how many students are among the victims. | There are “at least” 14 victims, according to the Broward county sheriff’s office, which said the victims are being transported to hospitals. It’s unclear how many students are among the victims. |
| So far we have at least 14 victims. Victims have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital. #StonemanShooting | So far we have at least 14 victims. Victims have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital. #StonemanShooting |
| The Broward Sherifff’s office says that “the shooter is now in custody”. | The Broward Sherifff’s office says that “the shooter is now in custody”. |
| Shooter is now in custody. Scene is still active. #stonemanshooting | Shooter is now in custody. Scene is still active. #stonemanshooting |
| There are reports of a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Here’s what we know so far: | There are reports of a shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Here’s what we know so far: |
| Police said the shooting happened on Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, which is about 50 miles north of Miami. | Police said the shooting happened on Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, which is about 50 miles north of Miami. |
| Aerial footage from a local station showed numerous people lying on the ground outside of the school, and some were being moved into ambulances and treated for injuries. | Aerial footage from a local station showed numerous people lying on the ground outside of the school, and some were being moved into ambulances and treated for injuries. |
| There are reports of “multiple injuries”, but it’s unclear how many have been hurt and if there are any fatalities. | There are reports of “multiple injuries”, but it’s unclear how many have been hurt and if there are any fatalities. |
| The sheriff’s office said the suspect was still at large at around 3pm local time, and there were later reports of one person being taken into custody. | The sheriff’s office said the suspect was still at large at around 3pm local time, and there were later reports of one person being taken into custody. |
| School officials said students and staff heard gunfire close to dismissal time and that the school “immediately went on lockdown”. | School officials said students and staff heard gunfire close to dismissal time and that the school “immediately went on lockdown”. |