Broward County Police said 17 people were killed and at least 20 others were injured Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a former student went on a shooting rampage at the school.
Nikolaus Cruz, 19, had been expelled from the school, according to USA Today. Cruz was identified as the gunman by Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who said he was armed with “countless” magazines and an AR-15 rifle.
The shooting took place at about 2 pm in Parkland, FL, about 30 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale, according to the Coral Springs Police Department.
Cruz was not taken into custody until nearly two hours after the rampage began; he was caught by police miles away from the school. The motive for the slaughter is not yet clear.
Officers took Cruz to a local hospital, and then later brought him into a police station wearing a hospital gown.
The former student was said to have been expelled for “disciplinary problems” and students told USA Today that it was known that he had guns. A teacher at the school told the Herald that he had taught Cruz last year, and said “There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus.”