Florida school shooting: Authorities still working to identify victims

PanARMENIAN.Net - Authorities have identified 12 of the 17 people who were killed Wednesday, February 14 when a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Times reports.

The identities of the victims have not yet been made public as not all of the families have been notified, according to Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel. Fifteen died on the scene, while two succumbed to injuries after being transported to a hospital.

The shooter, identified as Nikolas Cruz, 19, was taken into police custody.

The shooting at Stoneman Douglas is the worst since 20 students and six adults were slain at Sandy Hook Elementary School in in Newtown, Conn. in 2012. It is the 18th school shooting in the U.S. in 2018.

Among the victims in Parkland was a Stoneman Douglas football coach, Sheriff Israel told the media, while the son of a deputy sheriff suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to the arm. Five of the victims were still unidentified at 9:30 p.m. local time. Sheriff Israel noted that not all of the students were carrying backpacks or wallets when they were found.

Twelve of the victims were killed inside the school, Sheriff Israel said, all of whom had all been identified, NBC reports. Three other victims were slain outside the building. Two additional victims later died at area hospitals, where sixteen people in total were taken in addition to the only suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.