Source: MICHELE EVE SANDBERG / Getty
Authorities in Florida have charged a 19-year-old man with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the wake of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, was a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He had been expelled from the school previously for bringing knives on campus and harassing a former girlfriend. Social media posts from Cruz showed him bragging about killing animals, showing off guns and more.
“This is catastrophic,” said Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County, who has three children who graduated from the school. “There really are no words.”
According to The New York Times, the AR-15 used in the shooting was purchased legally. With the Parkland shooting, three of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in the United States have occurred in the last 10 months.
