Who Is Nikolas Cruz: What We Know About Alleged Florida School Shooter

Instagram

Cruz is a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where fellow students considered him most likely to "shoot up the school."

The posts on his unverified Instagram accounts are filled with firearms, knives, weapons and other violent imagery.

Broward County Sherriff Scott Israel described Cruz's social media output as "very, very disturbing."

Expelled

In a news conference following the shooting, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel confirmed that Cruz had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for "disciplinary reasons."

The Associated Press reports Cruz was expelled last school year after a fight with his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend. According to Victoria Olvera, a 17-year-old junior, the suspect had been abusive to his former girlfriend.

Not Welcome on Campus

One of Cruz's former teachers told the Miami Herald that Cruz was a known security risk.

"We were told last year that he wasn't allowed on campus with a backpack on him," said Jim Gard, a math teacher at the school. "There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus."

Gard said that administration sent an e-mail warning all teachers that Cruz had made threats and should no longer be allowed on campus with a backpack.

While those inside the school may have known Cruz was potentially dangerous, Superintendent Robert Runcie told reporters: "We received no warnings. Potentially there could have been signs out there. But we didn't have any warning or phone calls or threats that were made."

Detained Outside the School

Cruz was taken into custody at a home nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The shooting was first reported at around 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, and Cruz was led out of the house at 4 p.m.

It's unclear how Cruz escaped from the scene with so many law enforcement officials surrounding the area. He may have been mistaken for a student in all the chaos. From the house, he was taken to a local hospital.

Taken to Police Station

After the ambulance took Cruz to the hospital, he was seen a short while later being led into the local police station wearinga hospital gown. That was the last time he was spotted by news cameras.

CNN pundits speculated that Cruz was likely checked for concealed razor blades or poison pellets, and possibly subjected to a drug test. There's no word yet on whether Cruz was wounded.

Carrying Multiple Magazines

Cruz arrived at the school armed with multiple magazines for his AR-15 assault rifle, according to ABC News. He was armed to the teeth, and after the shooting, when asked how many shots he'd heard, one witness said "too many to count."

"All he would talk about is guns, knives, and hunting," Joshua Charo, a former classmate at the high school told the Miami Herald. "I can't say I was shocked. From past experiences, he seemed like the kind of kid who would do something like this."

Fire Alarm

The shooting began about 10 minutes before dismissal at the high school, and the Miami Herald reports that a fire alarm went off just before the shots rang out. Once the gunfire began, many teachers and students rushed back into classrooms and locked the doors, while others vaulted fences and fled campus.

The father of a student at the high school said Cruz pulled a fire alarm and opened fire as students left their classrooms and went into the hallway, WKBN reports.

"We all thought it was a fire drill because we had one previously today," he said. "And we thought it was, so no one was that nervous, but then word started going around that it was shots and not just, like, something else, everyone just started running towards the canal."

Nicole Baltzer, 18, said she was in trigonometry class about 10 minutes before the end of the school day when the fire alarm went off. As students evacuated, she heard six gunshots and everyone started running back inside the school, Baltzer told CNN.

"I heard so many gunshots, at least like six. They were very close," she said.

Cruz is Alive

Cruz is in custody, which is rare for the suspect of a mass shooting. Typically, attackers in these kind of cases commit suicide.

Law enforcement authorities have not revealed what charges Cruz will face, but Broward Sheriff's Office confirmed 17 dead and 15 wounded.

Feared by Classmates

Stoneman Douglas student: We used to joke that Nicolas Cruz "would be the one to shoot up the school." At least 15 now confirmed dead. https://t.co/n8iEBKJRYL pic.twitter.com/KveyfPNRzx

— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) February 14, 2018

One of Cruz's former classmates told WSBTV that students joked about Cruz doing something violent.

"Honestly, a lot of people were saying that it was going to be him," the student said. "A lot of kids threw around jokes like that, saying, 'This is the one that's going to shoot up the school,' but it turns out everyone predicted it. That's crazy.

"He was on the third floor. He knows the school layout. He know where everyone would be at as of right now. He's been through fire drills. He's been prepared for this stuff."

Family Issues

Cruz and his biological brother Zachary were adopted but both their adoptive parents died.

Roger and Lynda Cruz, originally from Long Island, New York, adoptedCruz and his biological brother Zachary after they moved to Parkland, Florida.

Roger died a number of years ago from a heart attack, and Lynda died on Nov. 1 last year from pneumonia, according to the Sun Sentinel. The boys were left in the care of a family friend following their mother's death.

Lynda struggled to control her sons and often resorted to calling the police to "scare them a little bit," Helen Pasciolla, a former neighbor. "Nikolas has behavioral problems, I think, but I never thought he would be violent."