During a press conference on Thursday, Broward County sheriff Scott Israel read the official list of victims from Wednesday’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
JUST IN: Broward County Sheriff releases names of the 17 people killed in Florida school shooting. https://t.co/bE5WNNUnJO pic.twitter.com/Ww9Dcwr94L
— ABC News (@ABC) February 15, 2018
The victims included Jaime Guttenberg, Martin Duque, Alyssa Alhadeff, Aaron Feis, Gina Montalto, Nicholas Dworet, Luke Hoyer, Carmen Schentrup, Meadow Pollack, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Alex Schacter, Chris Hixon, Scott Beigel, Peter Wong, Helena Ramsey.
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Of the victims, 14 were students.
The remaining three victims were Chris Hixon, the school’s athletic director, Scott Beigel, a 35-year-old geography teacher who was killed when he opened a door to allow students to take shelter inside his classroom only for a bullet to hit him as he closed the door and Aaron Feis, the school’s assistant football coach who jumped in front of students to protect them from bullets.
The shooter was identified as former student Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old wielding semi-automatic assault rifle.
Cruz was arrested on Wednesday an hour after the shooting, which took place in and around the school minutes before the school day’s dismissal. He was booked by the Broward County Sheriff Department for 17 accounts of premeditated murder with no bail. It marked the eighth school shooting of the year that resulted in deaths and injuries.
A police report released on Thursday read that Cruz admitted during the initial interrogation to the murder of all 17 victims, bringng the gun and ammunition into the school via a backpack and escaped in the crowd of students as they escaped the building.
“Okay, sir. You are charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder,” Judge Kim Theresa Mollica said to Cruz on Thursday. “I have something very important to tell you. You’re charged with some very serious crimes. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right at any time during this hearing, whatever you say can and will be used against you in the prosecution of this case.”
“I find probable cause. I further find the proof of guilt to be evident or the presumption great, therefore Mr. Cruz, you’re going to be held without bond until further order of the court. This order is without prejudice,” Mollica said.
