Florida gunman had extra ammo at school, fired for 3 minutes

PARKLAND, Florida (AP) — The teenager accused of using a semi-automatic rifle to kill 17 people at a Florida high school confessed to carrying out one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings and carried extra ammunition in his backpack, according to a sheriff’s department report released Thursday.

Nikolas Cruz told investigators that he shot students in the hallways and on the grounds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, north of Miami, the report from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.

Cruz said he brought more loaded magazines to the school and kept them in the backpack until he got on campus.

The gunman fired into five classrooms — four on the first floor of the school and one on the second floor, Sheriff Scott Israel said.

The shooting lasted for three minutes. When he was done firing, the assailant went to the third floor and dropped his AR-15 rifle and the backpack containing the ammunition. He then ran out of the building and attempted to blend in with fleeing students, Israel said.

After the rampage, the suspect headed to a Walmart and bought a drink at a Subway restaurant before walking to a McDonald’s. He was taken into custody about 40 minutes after leaving the McDonald’s, the sheriff said.

Cruz was ordered held without bond at a brief court hearing. He wore an orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed at his waist. His attorney had her arm around Cruz during the short appearance. Afterward, she called him a “broken human being.”

He was being held under a suicide watch, Executive Chief Public Defender Gordon Weekes told reporters.