Nikolas Cruz

"Hello. My name is Nick, and I'm gonna be the next school shooter of 2018. My goal is at least 20 people. With an AR-15 and a couple tracer rounds, I think I can get it done."

- Cruz in a cell phone video shortly before the shooting. Nikolas Jacob Cruz (September 24th, 1998 - ) is a 20-year-old American school shooter in Parkland, Florida. He was an ex-student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Cruz was once expelled from his high school for bringing bullets in his backpack, and his pupils reported that Cruz liked to talk about guns, bullets, and poaching.

Cruz has been diagnosed with autism, depression, and ADHD, as well as history of hostile behavior and aggression. The police had received 39 calls to his mother's house. Also, Cruz was reported to the FBI twice, once for a YouTube comment in September 2017, in which he said "I'm going to be a professional school shooter," though it fell through after the FBI was "unable to track him down."

The other on January 5, 2018, when a person close to Cruz "provided information about Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting."

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
On February 14, 2018, he killed 17 people and wounded 17 others, sending students running into the streets in panic and terror. Though he was initially able to flee the scene by dropping his weapons and blending in with the terrified fleeing students, the police identified him through school surveillance footage. He was eventually stopped in Coral Springs Florida, about 79 minutes after the shooting initially began.

Cruz armed himself with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle with multiple loaded magazines. Upon entering the school, he pulled a fire alarm and began shooting at teachers and students. Upon his capture at 3:40 PM, he was sent to the hospital, but then ultimately sent to Broward County Jail.

Motives
The exact reasons behind Cruz's attack remain unknown, but there are many possible contributing factors. Nikolas Cruz suffered from mental illness exacerbated by violence and aggression. He was transferred to a special ed school in 2014 but ended up transferring to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2016. He got suspended on September 20, and only 8 days later attempted to kill himself by slitting his wrists and drinking gasoline. He also expressed plans to buy a gun, while getting into many fights and having dished out many threats.

The death of his mother on November 1, 2017, may have influenced him. Cruz watched his adoptive father die in 2004, so Cruz lived with relatives and younger brother after both of his parents had died. He posted a series of violent and possibly threatening pictures on his Instagram account. He also used his account to express his racist views and broadcast threats to others, including his school. He posted dozens of pictures showcasing his weapons, posted alongside his extremist views. Even after his January 5th case, the police failed to investigate the matter, breaking protocol and enabling the assault.

Sentence
He is being charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, which may warrant a death penalty conviction. After his arraignment, he was held in an isolated cell on suicide watch.

The State of Florida plans for an execution for Cruz later in the year.

Theories
People suggest that Cruz was not the shooter. There is a video clip on YouTube of the police carrying a large white bag that looks like there is a body inside the way they are carrying it. They load this bag up into the back of a white pickup truck parked on the side of the school.

Then 40 minutes later Nicholas is found supposedly by a police officer. But it shows Nicholas face down on the ground Motionless because he was still unconscious at the time they handcuffed him. Later there is a video clip of Nicholas being held up by two police officers one on each side of him.

because Nicholas is so groggy he cannot stand up on his own yet. Because he is so groggy the police can't even hold him up they put him on a gurney and put him in an ambulance rather than the back of a police car. Why was Nicholas so groggy he had to go on a gurney? It's beginning to sound like he was framed. Who is behind the actual shooting? Nicholas apparently has a degree of autism.

It is likely he felt uncomfortable and insecure with his race; as he admitted to his birth mother being of Jewish origin, but simultaneously hating non-white people. He also has a half-black halfbrother. He likely associated with Nazi imagery as a cope of this.

People also say that this is the reason why he didn't plea any guilty for the shooting.

Teachers
This is a list of educators who had died in the shootings. All 3 of the victims were male. The victim's names are followed by their date of birth, and their age at the time that they were killed.
 * 1) Scott Beigel, geography teacher - October 22, 1982 (35 years)
 * 2) Aaron Feis, assistant football coach - May 17, 1980 (37 years)
 * 3) Chris Hixon, athletic director - February 25, 1968 (49 years)

Students
This is a list of students who had died in the shootings. In total, 14 were killed. 7 of the victims were male and 7 were female. The victim's names are followed by their date of birth, and their age at the time that they were killed.
 * 1) Alyssa Alhadeff - May 1, 2003 (14 years)
 * 2) Martin Duque - September 9, 2003 (14 years)
 * 3) Nicholas Dworet - March 24, 2000 (17 years)
 * 4) Jaime Guttenberg - July 13, 2003 (14 years)
 * 5) Luke Hoyer - October 25, 2002 (15 years)
 * 6) Cara Loughran - February 21, 2003 (14 years)
 * 7) Gina Montalto - April 22, 2003 (14 years)
 * 8) Joaquin Oliver - August 4, 2000 (17 years)
 * 9) Alaina Petty - August 22, 2003 (14 years)
 * 10) Meadow Pollack - October 5, 1999 (18 years)
 * 11) Helena Ramsay - January 19, 2001 (17 years)
 * 12) Alex Schachter - July 9, 2003 (14 years)
 * 13) Carmen Schentrup - February 21, 2001 (16 years)
 * 14) Peter Wang - November 9, 2002 (15 years)