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Nikolas Cruz indicted on 17 murder counts in Florida school shooting

Cruz, who had been expelled from the Parkland school, entered the building armed with a semiautomatic assault weapon, smoke grenades and a mask, authorities said
Credit: Broward County (Fla.) Jail
This photo provided by the Broward County (Fla.) Jail shows Nikolas Cruz.

Nikolas Cruz was formally charged Wednesday with 17 counts of first-degree murder in the bloody Valentine's Day rampage at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High that killed 17 teachers and students.

A Broward County grand jury indicted Cruz, 19, on the murder charges plus 17 counts of attempted murder.

Cruz could face execution if convicted of first-degree murder. Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Cruz, has said the teen would be willing to plead guilty to avoid a death sentence. Finkelstein said Cruz is deeply troubled and remorseful over the shooting.

Cruz, who had been expelled from the Parkland school, entered the building armed with a semiautomatic assault weapon, smoke grenades and a mask, authorities said. They say he fired more than 100 shots before the gun apparently jammed and he walked out of the building amid the chaos.

Cruz was taken into custody walking through a nearby neighborhood a short time after the shooting. He later confessed to the attack, according to a probable cause warrant.

James and Kimberly Snead, who Cruz was living with when the attack occurred, were among witnesses to testify before the grand jury Wednesday, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. James Snead and his lawyer, Jim Lewis, wore "17" pins in honor of the victims.

Cruz moved in with the Sneads in November, a few weeks after the death of his mother. The couple has said he was depressed by her death but seemed to have been improving — he had a job and was taking adult education classes.

“They still don’t know why this happened … (and) didn’t see this coming,” Lewis said.

The indictment comes two days after prosecutors asked a Florida judge not to release surveillance videos showing how deputies responded to the attack. Media organizations — including the USA TODAY NETWORK — sought release of the footage citing overwhelming public interest.

Deputy Scot Peterson resigned under pressure after Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Peterson stood outside the building for four minutes while the rampage was underway. Israel said he was "sick to his stomach" after learning of Peterson's behavior.

Peterson's lawyer has said his client has been unfairly described as a "coward" for following protocol. Joseph A. DiRuzzo III said Peterson believed the shooting was taking place outside the school and followed protocol for such an incident. That included taking up a "tactical position" outside the building and initiating a Code Red lockdown, DiRuzzo said.

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