Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 2-16-18

Safety In Our Schools
School Shooting In Parkland Leaves 17 Dead
PARKLAND, FL —-A for- mer student armed with a rifle stalked the halls of a Florida school, breaking win- dows and shooting terrified students in a massacre that left 17 people dead Wednes- day, authorities said.
The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, 19, had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School over disciplinary problems, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent
Nikolas Cruz was captured off campus.
outside, where he fired shot after shot before following fleeing students inside the building, officials said. There, he roamed the halls he knew so well, allegedly targeting those huddled in classrooms.
Former classmates and those who've been around the suspect said they were not surprised.
"A lot of people were say- ing that it was going to be him," Eddie Bonilla, who said he knew the suspect be-
fore he was expelled, told CNN affiliate WFOR.
"A lot of kids threw jokes like that, saying he is going to be the one who shoots up the school. It turns out that you know, everyone predicted it. That's crazy."
Cruz was arrested off cam- pus after leaving the school, and is talking to investiga- tors, according to a law en- forcement source.
He made his first court ap- pearance Thursday morning.
Robert Runcie said, with- out providing specifics.
Cruz allegedly turned on the fire alarm, sending many
School District Prepared For ‘Active Shooter’ Event
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Wednesday, the fire alarm was activated at Ma- jory Stoneman Douglas High School for the second time that day. The students filed out of classrooms and into a hail of gunfire.
The shooting was the 18th school shooting this year. It is the most deadly since Columbine in 1999. Hillsborough County School District
Harrison Peters,
Chief of Schools for the Hills- borough County School Dis- trict said, “We extend our sympathies to Broward County. While we are hoping that we never have an active shooter event, the district is
HARRISON PETERS Chief of Schools, Hillsbor- ough County School District
prepared.
“We are sending emails,
texts, and letters to parents to reassure them that we have safety protocols in place in the event of an active shooter event. We have re-
ROBERT RUNCIE Broward County School Superintendent
tooled our emergency plans and all administrators have been trained in our new re- sponse, “Lock In, Lock Out, Lock Down.”
Peters further stated that the schools will hold a
NIKOLAS CRUZ
... Charged with 17 counts of pre-meditated murder
practice drill next month. Su- perintendent Jeff Eakins will also address the issue on the District’s site TV next week. It will be mandatory for all adults. Principals at each school will also host a meeting with their emer- gency response team to make sure that there are no vacan- cies on the team and to re- view emergency procedures. The Shooting
According to police, Nikolas Cruz, the accused shooter, reportedly took an Uber to the school. He is said to have pulled the fire alarm at dismissal time.
The 19-year-old alleged gunman used an AR 15 style semiautomatic rifle and had several magazines, a gas mask, and other items.
In its wake, 17 people lost
their lives, and 14 others were hospitalized. Five of those individuals have life- threatening injuries. For more than an hour, the school was at the mercy of the gunman.
After the shooting, Cruz allegedly threw the gun down and blended into the crowd of mass chaos. He was ar- rested a short distance away. Cruz was transported to a local hospital because of la- bored breathing. After being medically cleared, he was charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder, along with other charges.
About The District
Marjory Stoneman Dou- glas High School is located in Parkland, Florida, about 30 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale. The school has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students in grades 9- 12.
The Broward County School District is the 6th largest District in the nation. Robert C. Runcie is the Superintendent.
Supt. Runcie said Cruz was a former student who had recently been expelled. He was enrolled at another Broward County alternative school. He further said there were no warnings and no other incidents prior to the shooting.
FRIDAY, FEBRAURY 16, 2018 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 11-A