Parkland, Florida, School Shooting: ‘Numerous Fatalities’ Reported

PARKLAND, Fla. — Numerous fatalities were reported in a shooting Wednesday afternoon at a high school about an hour northwest of Miami.

Authorities said there were 14 victims, but did not offer any more details. It was unclear if the victims were injured or dead. Television images showed students running away from the school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, and law enforcement officers around the building.

The Broward County sheriff’s office wrote on Twitter that the suspect is now in custody and the scene is still active.

Sen. Bill Nelson told MSNBC there were multiple fatalities. Two hospitals, Broward Health North in Pompano Beach and Broward Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, received multiple patients, according to Jennifer Smith, a spokeswoman for the hospitals.

“There are numerous fatalities. It is a horrific situation,” Robert W. Runcie, superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, told CNN. “It is a horrible day for us.”

Authorities asked residents of the city of Parkland to avoid the area around the school. Television images showed police activity in the neighboring city, Coral Springs.

Students and staff “heard what sounded like gunfire” near dismissal time around 2:40 p.m., according to the Broward school district.

“The school immediately went on lockdown but is now dismissing students,” the district wrote on Twitter. “We are receiving reports of possible multiple injuries.”

Dianna Milleret, 16, a 10th-grader, heard the gunshots. “It was several loud sounds. I tried to stay calm. Students were running everywhere,” she said, on a street two blocks from the school.

Her twin, Deanna, is disabled and uses a wheelchair. She is still in the school, according to their mother, Anishka Milleret. “I am so worried because I haven’t been able to talk to her,” Milleret said.

Parkland, an affluent suburb of Fort Lauderdale with a population of about 30,000, is known for its good public schools. Douglas High is among the largest in the Broward school district, with about 3,000 students.

“My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting,” President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter. “No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.”

Trump has spoken to Gov. Rick Scott, said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary. The governor’s office said Scott is heading to the school.