[ad_1]
Nikolas Cruz, seen above during a hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, told a student to "get out of here," investigators said.
(AP)
A freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School received a cooling warning when he met the suspect Nikolas Cruz in the hallway while he was reloading his AR-15 rifle as Valentine's Day.
The student told investigators that Cruz said "you better get out of here," according to the interview transcripts released Friday.
The account is part of the case against Cruz, who is charged with 17 counts of first degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Parkland area, Florida .
The student, whose name was redacted, was taking a break in the bathroom when he found Cruz shooting the rifle out of a bag.
He told the authorities that Cruz had said this: "You better get out of here, something bad is about to happen … And then he told me to run, so I ran. "
The student, whose account has already been described by the authorities, said he saw the weapon clearly.
Cruz, 19, offered to plead guilty if the death penalty is lifted, but prosecutors did not accept it. Authorities say that he confessed to the crime and previously the prosecutors released recorded Cruz cell phone videos in which he describes in detail what he was planning to do at the school he had attended .
WHITE WOMAN CALLS POLICE ON 8-YEAR BLACK GIRL TO SELL WATER
Another interview published Friday was with a security monitor Stoneman Douglas who was in the building when Cruz entered. The monitor, whose name is also redacted but that school officials have identified as being David Taylor, said he saw Cruz carry the bag at a distance of about 50 meters down the hallway of the school. 39; school. He had been warned of Cruz's presence by another monitor, Andrew Medina, who both knew the troubled alumnus well.
"And, I believe that he had eye contact with me, I looked at him and he immediately turned right into this far east staircase," Taylor told the detectives.
He said that he ran to the second floor to try to intercept Cruz, but that he did not see the teenager. Then the shots started.
"I heard two shots, then a volley of shots, and then I immediately hid in a second-floor guard closet," Taylor said.
After about 10 minutes in the closet, Taylor said that a policeman found him and drove him out.
"I had the impression of being in this closet of hours," he said.
Taylor told the detectives that he knew Cruz well from his time at school and had often walked out of the classroom for provocative behavior and disrespect to teachers.
"Not only me, but all our security personnel, I would say everyone, I would, yes, because they've all been around for quite a long time … I would say that all the security personnel are safe. take care of this kid, "he said.
The Broward County School District has reassigned Medina and Taylor to other schools since filming.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link
