There are at least 14 victims in a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., police officials said Wednesday.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office warned local residents to avoid the area around Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland due to the reports of an active shooter. Initial reports on the shooting came out about 3 p.m. Wednesday, around the time the school was set to dismiss.
The sheriff’s office said there are at least 14 victims. They did not rule out the possibility that that number could rise.
Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said there are multiple fatalities, but could not confirm how many have died.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the shooter was taken into custody.
Shooter is now in custody. Scene is still active. #stonemanshooting
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) February 14, 2018
MORE: Male in red shirt appears to be handcuffed and apprehended by police officers in Parkland, Florida, following shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School https://t.co/1Y5NBGZMdE pic.twitter.com/EmZdGiSPIP
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 14, 2018
“Our schools, we do what we can to make sure they’re as safe as they possibly can be for our children,” Runcie said. “And again, this is a day that we prayed would never be here at Broward County. We’re dealing with it and we’ll deal with it as a community. We’ll pull through it. My prayers and heartfelt sorrow goes out to the families and this entire community.”
Broward County Public Schools said students and staff at the high school heard what they believed was gunfire near the school’s dismissal time. The school was then put on lockdown. The school district said students are now being dismissed.
“Today, close to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s dismissal, students and staff heard what sounded like gunfire. The school immediately went on lockdown but is now dismissing students. We are receiving reports of possible multiple injuries. Law enforcement is on site,” Broward County Public Schools tweeted.
Today, close to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s dismissal, students and staff heard what sounded like gunfire. The school immediately went on lockdown but is now dismissing students. We are receiving reports of possible multiple injuries. Law enforcement is on site.
— Broward Schools (@browardschools) February 14, 2018
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is now dismissing students. We are receiving reports of possible multiple injuries. Law enforcement and the District’s Special Investigative Unit are currently on site. The District will provide updates as more information becomes available.
— Broward Schools (@browardschools) February 14, 2018
@browardschools is continuing to work closely with law enforcement regarding Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Once again, we are receiving word of multiple injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, as well as the entire Marjory Stoneman Douglas community.
— Broward Schools (@browardschools) February 14, 2018
At this time, law enforcement is clearing students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one building at a time. We will continue to provide updates, as more information becomes available.
— Broward Schools (@browardschools) February 14, 2018
The White House said President Trump had been made aware of the shooting and they were monitoring the situation.
Trump tweeted a short time later to express his condolences for the families of those involved in the shooting.
“My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school,” Trump tweeted.
He added, “Just spoke to Governor Rick Scott. We are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting.”
My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018
Just spoke to Governor Rick Scott. We are working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., also said they are monitoring the situation.
The shooting Wednesday comes one day after NeighborhoodScout, a real estate website, ranked Parkland the 15th safest city in the U.S.
