17 dead in South Florida school shooting

Panic and fear swept through a South Florida community Wednesday afternoon after a gunman opened fire at a suburban high school.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says 17 people were killed and more were injured during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The sheriff said 12 of the 17 died inside the school building, two of them died outside of the building, one was killed on the street near the school and another two died in the hospital.

The shooter, who was equipped with a gas mask and smoke grenades, set off a fire alarm to draw students out of their classrooms shortly before the school day ended, officials said.

Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said “It is a horrific situation," and "It is a horrible day for us.”

Students and teachers filed out of the school after the shooting, many with arms in the air as armed SWAT officers ushered them along. Video from the sceneshowed at least five people being treated by paramedics along a sidewalk while students streamed by.

Footage posted to social media showed officers in the school ushering students who had huddled inside an auditorium; another clip showed students cowering as gunfire exploded nearby.

A student sent his sister video from a classroom where SWAT officers entered with guns drawn and ordered everyone to raise their hands.

Police warned all area hospitals early on to expect patients as a result of the shooting.

A search for the gunman ended with an arrest a mile away from the school. Video from SkyFOX showed officers handcuffing a male in a maroon shirt and loading him into the back of a cruiser.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel identified him only as a former student at the high school, believed to be around 19 years old. The Associated Press later identified him as Nikolas Cruz.

The sheriff later said Cruz had no clear motive but added the suspected shooter had been expelled for disciplinary problems.

Sheriff Israel said an AR-15 rifle with multiple magazines was used in the shooting.