The Valentine’s Day shooting, which took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, and which has left 17 dead, is one of the worst in American history.
Nikolas Cruz, also known as a suspect in Florida School Shooting, has been described as a loner by one of his former classmates who claims that the 19-year-old was once expelled from the high school for breaching its disciplinary protocol.
On Wednesday, in one of the worst mass shootings in American history, the former student came back to Marjory Stoneman High School, and is currently the lead suspect of murdering at least 17 people on the school’s premises.
Investigators believe that the suspect drew out people by pulling out a fire alarm so as to create panic and draw pupils out of their classrooms.
Worse, after carrying out the heinous act, he concealed himself among the students who were fleeing the school in hundreds. It was only after the Investigators turned to the CCTV cameras installed in the school that they identified Cruz and apprehend him in a nearby neighborhood.
Bill Nelson, the senior senator from Florida told CNN that the attacker was wearing a gas mask, and had smoke grenades. This comment came moments after State Senator Marco Rubio tweeted that that attack was carried out to ‘’maximize loss of life’’.
Suspect’s Digital Life
According to Broward County Sherriff Scott Israel, the digital profile of Cruz contained ‘very, very disturbing’ content. His social media postings were littered with a variety of violence and gun-related posts.
On one of his posts on his Instagram account, Cruz posted a shotgun’s photo, whereas in another he’s carrying a pistol that experts say resembles BB gun. Other photos of him include Cruz using a kerchief to cover his face, as well as waving long knives.
Police have confirmed that at the time of the attack, Cruz had multiple magazines and at least one AR-15 rifle in his arsenal. One US official told CNN that the suspect bought his firearm after completing all the background checks last year.
Suspect’s School Life
Apart from being expelled from the Marjory Stoneman High School for disciplinary reasons, as per the officials, one of the seniors at the schools claims that Cruz didn’t have many friends and that he seemed ‘very quiet’.
The senior further told CNN that Cruz told him that he was expelled from two private schools, enjoyed hunting, and wanted to join the military. Interestingly, Cruz’s name was included in Junior Reserve Official Training Corps (JROTC), a program of the high school which awards the high achievers.
Police claim that the suspect would be presented in court on Friday.
