Everything we know about the Florida secondary school shooting
Families in the Florida city of Parkland are mourning this morning after a shooter killed 17 at a secondary school in the state. A 19-year-old opened fire on former classmates, it is believed that he had previously been expelled from the school for disciplinary reasons.
What we know about the shooting
The shooting took place on 14th February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in the city of Parkland, Florida at around 7.30 pm GMT.
The shooter was a 19-year-old former student at the school. He had been expelled from the school for 'disciplinary reasons'. Police have identified the shooter as Nikolas Cruz.
17 people have been killed in the shooting. It's believed to be one of the 10 deadliest in US history.
US leaders and celebrities have tweeted to condemn the shooting. TV talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres tweeted: 'No words, no actions, no laws are enough until we end this epidemic of school shootings in our country. My heart is with the students and parents of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.'
'He wasn't a good kid' say eyewitness
Students who found themselves caught in the shooting have told Good Morning Britain that they 'feared for their lives' as an active shooter patrolled their school buildings. The first they knew of the shooting was when the school's fire alarm sounded for the second time that day, the first had been for a routine drill.
Two students who knew the shooter since sixth grade said they thought something bad was going to happen with him and that Cruz was a 'walking accident waiting to happen'. They later found themselves running from his gun as he targeted a place that should have been safe.
Fellow student, Nick Hayman said: 'I was confused at first until I heard gunshots from about seven doors down from where I was, and then I dropped my bag and I just ran home.'
'Ever since middle school, he's always been very violent, very not in the right state of mind. He used to break things around the school for the fun of it. He wasn't a good kid.' said Alaina Cruz, a student who studied with the gunman and was caught in the shooting.
President Trump: 'No teacher should ever feel unsafe'
On social media, President Donald Trump has condemned the attacks. He said: 'My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.'
Earlier this year, the Commander-in-chief spoke to Good Morning Britain's Piers Morgan about gun control and shootings in the United States of America. At the time, he said that he supported the second amendment and the right to bear arms.
In the aftermath of the shooting, campaigners around the world are now calling for tougher gun controls in the United States. On Twitter, #GunControlNow is trending as people discuss the pros and cons of introducing tougher restrictions on the sale of weapons.
The shooting is the sixth school shooting leading to the death or injury of people since the start of 2018. It's the deadliest shooting in the US since Sandy Hook in 2012, 26 people lost their lives then.
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