Nikolas Cruz

Nikolas Cruz
Nikolas Cruz
	Cruz's mugshot following his arrest
Born	September 24, 1998 (age 26); Margate, Florida, U.S.
Status	Arrested
Education	Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (expelled)
Occupation	Former Dollar Tree cashier
Known for	Perpetrator of the Parkland high school shooting
Criminal status	Incarcerated
Motive	Disputed: Revenge for perceived social rejection (prosecution); Brain dysfunctions caused from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (defense); Declining mental health and depression (defense); Attempt to ruin Valentine's Day (self-declared);
Conviction(s)	17 counts of premeditated First-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder
Criminal penalty	34 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole
Details
Date	February 14, 2018
Target(s)	Students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Killed	17
Injured	17
Weapons	Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport II semi-automatic rifle

Nikolas Cruz (born September 24, 1998)^[3] is the perpetrator of the Parkland high school shooting on February 14, 2018. He killed 17 people and injured 17 others before being arrested. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2022.

Cruz qualified for special education assistance in addition to an IEP because of his behavioral problems, which date back to preschool. Cruz was "well-known to school and mental health authorities and was entrenched in the process for getting students help rather than referring them to law enforcement," claimed The Washington Post. Cruz was given an oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis by Stephen E. Moskowitz. In an attempt to address these issues, he completed six school transfers in three years. In 2014, he was moved to a school for kids with learning or mental disorders. He was alleged to have threatened other pupils.

Cruz attended Stoneman Douglas High School again two years later, but he was expelled for disciplinary reasons in 2017.

References

↑ "School shooter chose Valentine's Day to ruin it forever". Associated Press News. October 6, 2022.
↑ "Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz contemplated massacre for years". October 3, 2022.
↑ "17 dead, 15 wounded after expelled student shoots up Stoneman Douglas High in Broward". Miami Herald. February 14, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2025.

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[1] "School shooter chose Valentine's Day to ruin it forever". Associated Press News. October 6, 2022.

[2] "Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz contemplated massacre for years". October 3, 2022.

[3] "17 dead, 15 wounded after expelled student shoots up Stoneman Douglas High in Broward". Miami Herald. February 14, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2025.

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