Nikolas Cruz latest: Florida shooting suspect appears in court after 17 killed in school massacre

A teenager accused of carrying out a deadly shooting rampage at a Florida high school has appeared in court after 17 people were killed in the massacre.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder of pupils and teachers at his former school in Parkland following the horrifying shooting on Wednesday.

Cruz spoke only to confirm his name at the brief hearing on Thursday after he was detained about two miles away from the scene.

The teenager, who had links with a white supremacist group, reportedly commented on YouTube last year that he would be a "professional school shooter”.

Teachers at the school are believed to have been warned about Cruz, who was reportedly not allowed on the premises with a backpack. And since his arrest, the FBI has launched a review into its handling of warnings it received about the teenager.

The alleged gunman was earlier pictured being escorted in handcuffs to county jail before his first court hearing. He was dressed in a hospital uniform as he was seen leaving the Broward County Sheriff’s Office after a night of questioning.

Suspect: Cruz spoke only to confirm his name
AP

Cruz was identified as a threat months before he allegedly burst into Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school. He had been expelled last year, reportedly after knives and bullets were found in his bag.

He had also “joked” about killing his former classmates. One said: “He played around with this joke all the time, like he knows the layout of the school, he can actually go ahead and pinpoint where all the students would be.”

Florida shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz's Instagram pictures

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The alleged killer also posted pictures on Instagram showing him posing with guns, knives and and dead animals.

Police said the shooter was wearing a gas mask and was armed with an assault rifle and smoke grenades when he deliberately set off fire alarms and shot his panicked victims at random.

Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder
AFP/Getty Images

Among those confirmed dead were student Jaime Guttenberg and athletics director Chris Hixon, 49. Aaron Feis, a football coach who threw himself in front of his students, was also killed.

Jim Gard, a maths teacher who taught him, said: “We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him. There were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave.”

Nevertheless, Cruz is understood to have passed a background check and legally bought the AR-15 assault rifle used to carry out the massacre. It was the 18th US school shooting this year.

Florida shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz as he is arrested by police at the scene where 17 people were shot dead

One parent, whose daughter escaped unhurt, said: “The big question being asked by many parents is ‘Why wasn’t this boy stopped before this was allowed to happen?’ It seems inconceivable that he was allowed to legally buy the gun and able to get access to the school.”

Students said one reason Cruz was expelled was that bullets were found in his backpack.

Joshua Charo, 16, said: “All he would talk about is guns, knives and hunting... he seemed like the kind of kid who would do something like this.” Matthew Walker, 17, said: “They would say he would be the one to shoot up the school. Everyone predicted it.”

Amanda Samaroo, whose daughter attended the school, said Cruz had been expelled for bringing knives on to the grounds. “Her friends have said he was known to always be mentally ill and would kill animals,” she said.

The teenager was arrested in a suburb about two miles from the school and taken to hospital for treatment. He was questioned overnight and escorted to the Broward county jail in Fort Lauderdale today. He was said to be co-operating with investigators.

In his first official address since the horrific massacre, US President Donald Trump told America’s children “you are never alone”, and urged the Florida community to “answer hate with love and cruelty with kindness”.

Looking straight into the camera and directly addressing America’s children, he said: “I want you to know that you are never alone and you never will be."

He added: “If you need help, turn to a teacher, a family member, a local police officer and a faith leader.”

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