New details released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, revealed how a gunman armed with a semiautomatic AR-15 assault rifle and “countless magazines” killed 17 people at his former high school in Parkland, Fla., in February.
Sawgrass Expressway
PARKLAND
Coral Springs Drive
Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School
Exit
Exit
Gunman fired
outside and inside
this building.
Teachers and students
fled through exits
on opposite ends
of the building.
N
PARKLAND
Coral Springs Drive
Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School
Exit
Exit
Gunman fired
outside and inside
this building.
Teachers and
students fled
through exits
on opposite ends
of the building.
N
PARKLAND
Coral Springs Drive
Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School
Exit
Exit
Gunman fired
outside and inside
this building.
Teachers and
students fled
through exits
on opposite ends
of the building.
N
Sawgrass Expressway
PARKLAND
Coral Springs Drive
Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School
Exit
Exit
Gunman fired
outside and inside
this building.
Teachers and students
fled through exits
on opposite ends
of the building.
N
The heavily armed man, identified as Nikolas Cruz, 19, arrived at the school in an Uber at 2:19 p.m., shortly before dismissal time. He made his way “purposefully” toward the freshman building, said a police report released Thursday.
6
Shoots at people in the hallway
and the stairwell, killing six.
8
2:27 p.m.
Drops rifle and backpack.
Runs back downstairs
and leaves building.
5
2:24 p.m.
Goes to
third floor.
7
2:25 p.m.
Tries to set up a sniper position
from the windows, but isn’t
able to shoot through
hurricane-resistant windows.
Stairs
4
Fires into two
classrooms.
Hallway
Stairs
1
2:21 p.m.
Gunman enters
building.
Entrance
2
Shoots into four
classrooms repeatedly,
killing 11 people.
3
2:23 p.m.
Goes to
second floor.
Bathroom
Office
Entrance
6
Third
floor
8
5
7
Stairs
4
Hallway
Stairs
1
Second
floor
Entrance
2
3
First
floor
Bathroom
Office
Entrance
6
Third
floor
8
5
7
Stairs
4
Hallway
Stairs
1
Second
floor
Entrance
2
3
First
floor
Bathroom
Office
Entrance
1 2:21 p.m. Gunman enters building.
2 Shoots into four classrooms repeatedly, killing 11 people.
3 2:23 p.m. Goes to second floor.
4 Fires into two classrooms.
5 2:24 p.m. Goes to third floor.
6 Shoots at people in the hallway and the stairwell, killing six.
7 2:25 p.m. Tried to set up a sniper position from the windows, but couldn’t shoot through hurricane-resistant windows.
8 2:27 p.m. Drops rifle and backpack. Runs back downstairs and leaves building.
According to details described by authorities, Mr. Cruz shot people in the hallways and inside classrooms. He eventually discarded the rifle, a vest, and ammunition in a stairwell, and blended in with fleeing students to get away.
On the third floor, students were leaving their classroom when they heard gunshots, according to several students.
They ran back to their classroom, and their teacher, Scott Beigel, was shot and killed as he tried to lock the door, the students said.
As the gunman walked through the building, he shot into classrooms where students were crouched in corners and hiding in closets. After the shooting ended, students ran out of the building flanked by heavily armed police officers.
There are 30 classrooms in the building, which was originally built only for freshmen but is now used by students in other grades as well, said Melissa Falkowski, a teacher at the high school. All told, there are usually about 900 students and 30 teachers in the building on a typical school day.
Mr. Cruz, who had been expelled from the school, concealed himself in the crowd and was among the hundreds of people fleeing the building, authorities said. After leaving the school, he walked to a Walmart and bought a drink at a Subway, according to authorities. At 3:41 p.m., he was arrested by the police as he walked down a residential street in Coral Springs, just a few miles from the school. He was taken to a nearby hospital before being released into police custody.