Gunman Kills At Least 17 at Florida High School

A police official in the American state of Florida says 17 people have died in a shooting attack Wednesday at a high school. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says police have arrested the suspect shooter, a 19-year-old. He says the suspect is a former student of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The attack began there minutes before the end of the school day. The shooting is the latest in a series of attacks at churches, offices, movie theaters and public places. It is also the deadliest school shooting since 2012 - twenty students were killed in the attack at Newtown in the state of Connecticut. Israel said the suspect had been expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons. The official says the man had at least one automatic rifle and several magazines. He says most of the deaths happened inside the building. One man says he watched as officers arrested the suspect. Michael Nembhard told The Associated Press he was watching television news reports of the shooting when he heard yelling. He said it was a police officer repeatedly ordering the suspect to “get on the ground!” Nembhard says he saw a teenage boy on the ground about 137 meters away. An officer was pointing a gun at him. The officer stood over the boy until other officers arrived, handcuffed him and led him away. A federal official who spoke on condition that he would not be identified said the suspect’s name is Nicolas Cruz. The White House canceled its daily press briefing after news of the attack. President Donald Trump spoke with Florida Governor Rick Scott about the shooting. Trump tweeted that the White House is “working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting.” Earlier, Trump tweeted his condolences to the families of the victims. His spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump has offered Florida federal assistance, if needed. The homeland security secretary has also been in touch with state and local officials. Sanders says, “We continue to keep the victims, and their friends and family, in our thoughts and prayers.”    

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