It’s every parent’s worst nightmare – an active shooting situation in your child’s school. When these tragedies occur, parents are often desperately waiting for answers while the school is on lockdown and law enforcement secures the scene.
Such was the case at Stoneman Douglas High School in Coral Springs, FL Wednesday afternoon when an armed gunman went on a rampage shortly before school was set to dismiss for the day around 2:30 p.m.
Now, in what has become an all-too-common scene around the world, families are waiting for answers – and dealing with the devastating impact on their children and community.
At least 17 victims are confirmed dead, with multiple others injured, some critically.
The suspect in the shooting, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was apprehended by law enforcement late in the afternoon after he fled the scene. Cruz had originally hidden in the crowd of fleeing students before leaving campus, setting off an intense manhunt throughout neighboring counties.
Broward County, FL school administrators confirmed that Cruz had recently been expelled from Stoneman Douglas and was attending a neighboring high school. Authorities are still exploring Cruz’s motives, but believe his expulsion to have triggered the tragedy. It is believed he acted alone.
NBC News reported on Cruz’s background, and the reaction of those who knew him:
Cruz’s mother died in early November and he had been staying with a local family — whose son is a junior at Douglas, the family’s attorney told NBC Miami.
“He lived here without any concerns or issues for almost three months and they are shocked and horrified by the allegations being made,” lawyer Jim Lewis said, adding that his clients are fully cooperating with investigators.
The general store chain Dollar Tree confirmed that Cruz worked at its Parkland branch and said it was fully cooperating with investigators.
Brandon Minoff, a senior at the school who said he had two classes with Cruz two years ago, told NBC News that while it was “surreal” to hear Cruz named as the suspect, “I wasn’t surprised.”
“I got paired with him for a project, and he started talking to me about his life — how he was held back twice, expelled from two private schools. He likes to do reckless stuff,” Minoff said.
Sebastian Toala, another senior, told NBC Miami: “I never really got close to him, because I always had a feeling there was something wrong.”
Cruz was taken into custody off campus about an hour after he “committed this horrific, detestable act,” said Israel, who added investigators were reviewing social media postings that he described as “very disturbing.”
By all accounts, Cruz seemed to be a disturbed individual with disciplinary issues in school. Authorities have just begun to uncover dark and frightening social media posts from recent months, one of which was a posting by Cruz saying,
“I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”
Florida Governor Rick Scott traveled to the scene, saying,
“You come to the conclusion this is just absolutely pure evil.”
The left has already begun its finger-pointing, calling for an immediate tightening of gun control regulations. Although there was an officer stationed at the school, this type of carnage is always difficult to stop without law-abiding gun owners coming to the rescue.
Public schools, churches, and other organizations continue to be “Gun Free Zones,” rolling out the welcome mat for mentally disturbed individuals to go on shooting sprees, knowing they will face little resistance.
Authorities are investigating how Cruz obtained the assault rifle used in the shooting, but liberal legislators continually fail to understand that guns are not the problem. Preventing these tragedies lies in identifying individuals with mental health issues who express their desire to harm others, and addressing the problem of “Gun Free Zones,” where no one has the ability to protect themselves or others.
As victims continue to be identified and families band together to take care of their own, the investigation continues. With several students still in critical condition, the nation prays that the body count does not rise.
All of those victims have been identified, but no identities will be made public until the families of all of those affected have been notified.
State and federal officials, like Scott, Governor Marco Rubio, and President Trump have extended their sympathies and prayers to the victims. The nation mourns for more lost children in the aftermath of yet another tragedy that could have been prevented.
Governor Scott is working with the President and the Department of Homeland Security to find answers. As the liberal media blamed Cruz’s ability to obtain an assault rifle, he replied,
“There is a time to continue to have these conversations about how, through law enforcement, how through mental illness funding, to keep people safe, and we’ll continue to do that.”
We here at Mommy Underground extend our most heartfelt prayers to the families and community affected by this most recent tragedy. We will keep you posted on any developments in this story.