Sheriff’s Department Clarifies Spelling of Florida Gunman’s Name

After a bit of confusion regarding the spelling of Wednesday’s Florida school shooting suspect’s name, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office has clarified that the name of the alleged shooter is Nikolas Cruz.

The 19-year-old former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student believed to have shot and killed 17 people Wednesday had previously been identified as Nikolaus Cruz by authorities until police corrected themselves in a tweet Wednesday night.

However, social media accounts that appear to be that of the shooter, as well as a yearbook photo posted of him during his school years, identified him as Nikolas Cruz.

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

While he was in school, fellow students considered him most likely to “shoot up the school,” according to reports.

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.”

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.”

Photo credit: WSVN