Update: 17 Dead in South Florida High School Shooting
Officials say a suspect is in custody.
A person opened fire at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida this afternoon. There have been official reports of injuries and fatalities, but the information is extremely vague and will no doubt become more specific as more news is available.
The Broward County Sheriff's Department says they have a suspect in custody and that 14 victims have been transported to nearby hospitals. The mayor of Coral Springs, whose fire department helped respond to the call, says there have been fatalities.
CBS posted this video of a student filming on his cell phone while seeking refuge in a classroom. Many gunshots can be heard:
NEW: (WARNING-graphic scene) Cell phone video that was taken inside a classroom shows students hiding for cover while gunshots are heard in the background pic.twitter.com/FgmQRW18xH
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 14, 2018
(UPDATE: CBS This Morning has deleted the video footage above from Twitter, saying "Due to the sensitive content @cbsthismorning has decided to take down video previously posted.")
A local news station spoke to a couple of students who fled the campus. They said that they had done a fire drill earlier in the day. Then the fire alarm went off again and they thought it was another drill. Another student indicated that the school had previously done an active shooter drill with somebody actually shooting a gun with blanks. He said that when he heard gunfire, he thought at first they might be doing another shooter drill:
Student describes scene at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School pic.twitter.com/KPgYpJGeWA
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) February 14, 2018
President Donald Trump tweeted his prayers and condolences after being apprised of the situation. There will obviously be more to come.
UPDATE:
The "Broward Sheriff's Office is reporting 17 dead," according to the Miami Herald:
An American nightmare unfolded Wednesday afternoon at a North Broward high school after a former student came onto campus and opened fire, killing 17.
Details are beginning to emerge amid a flurry of police activity at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where students puzzled at the sound of a fire alarm going off just before dismissal were launched into a panic when gunfire punctuated the din. As teachers and students fled hallways and hid under desks, a former student who teachers and parents say was known to be dangerous came onto campus and unloaded, leaving a trail of bodies and stunned confusion in his wake.
Nicolas de Jesus Cruz, 19, has been taken into police custody. The Broward Sheriff's Office is reporting 17 dead, and is still working to clear all the buildings at the massive school, home to about 3,200 students.
They have yet to name a motive for the shooting, which they say doesn't immediately appear to have been prompted by any confrontation.
