Florida shooting: Suspect Nikolas Cruz 'confessed to killing students' police report claims - as it happened
Hundreds attend vigils for the 17 victims of the massacre
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Your support makes all the difference.The teenager accused of using an AR-15 rifle to kill 17 people at a Florida high school is said to have confessed to police that he was the one who carried out the shooting and carried extra ammunition in his backpack, according to a sheriff's department arrest report.
Nikolas Cruz told investigators that he shot students in the hallways and on the grounds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, north of Miami, the report from the Broward County Sheriff's Office said.
The youngest of the victims in one of the deadliest school shootings in US history, was identified as 15-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff. Meanwhile Cruz appeared in court charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. More than a dozen other people were injured in the shooting. The judge ordered Cruz - who has not yet entered a plea - to be held without bail.
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Police also laid out what they believe to be the timeline for the shooting, which is said to have started when the suspect was dropped off at the school at 2.19 pm local time [7.19pm GMT] by an Uber taxi. Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference that the suspect entered the east stairwell and pulled the AR-15 rifle out of a case, readying it and then beginning to shoot into classrooms. The suspect is then said to have shot into classrooms on multiple floors.
The suspect is then said to have dropped the rifle, a vest and his backpack before running back down the stairs. Police believe he discarded those items to join others who were fleeing and escape the grounds. Cruz was arrested about an hour later, having visited at least one fast food restaurant in the meantime.
In a televised address to the nation – his fourth following a mass shooting – President Donald Trump urged Americans to “respond to hate with love”.
“Later this month, I will be meeting with the nation’s governors and attorney generals, where making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority,” he said. “We must also work together to create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life, that creates deep and meaningful human connections and that turns classmates and colleagues into friends and neighbours.”
In his remarks to the nation, Mr Trump avoided the issue of gun control, which was the subject of a lot of talk from those in Congress throughout the day, but did say he planned to travel to Florida to meet with victims’ families.
He says the community of Parkland, Florida is now "searching for answers" - will President Trump provide any during this speech?
Mr Trump says it is "not enough to feel like we are making a difference, we actually have to make a difference". But makes no mention of gun control.
Mr Trump said the nation was "joined together as one American family" after the shooting.
Mr Trump said he wanted to speak directly to America's children, saying "you are never alone, and you never will be". He said no child should have to go to school fearing for their lives.
Mr Trump said he would travel to Florida to meet with victims' families, explore how to better secure schools and "tackle the difficult issue of mental health".
That was closest he got to the issue of gun control.
Mr Trump may not be talking about gun control, but the Democrats certainly are:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called for expanded background checks. Democrats also want to create a committee to examine gun violence.
Ms Pelosi said: "We hope that we will have more than a moment of silence."
Yet attempts to pass stricter gun laws have gone nowhere in recent years.
Rep. Mike Thompson of California has been leading Democratic efforts on gun control. Mr Thompson is a gun owner who says the US. is in the midst of a crisis. He adds "You can't turn around without there being a mass shooting."
Mr Thompson is also criticising Republicans for how Congress has responded to the shootings, saying they should be embarrassed that GOP leaders "wouldn't address this issue."
A sheriff's deputy responding to a report of gunfire at a private school near the site of a mass shooting a Florida high school accidentally fired his gun, injuring his leg.
The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release that the deputy was among law enforcement officers responding to reports of shots being fired at North Broward Preparatory School on Thursday morning. He was treated for his injuries at the scene and no one else was injured.
The initial report was investigated and sheriff's officials said it was unfounded.
In the meantime, all Broward County high schools are on a "code yellow," which means students should remain in classrooms with doors locked. Officials said this is precautionary following the Wednesday afternoon shooting that killed 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.
Others have also had strong reactions to the shooting, with one CNN analyst breaking down in tears about victims of the shooting.
In case you didn't get a chance to watch, here is a long clip from Donald Trump's speech:
Mental illness has been a recurring theme in Donald Trump's remarks, with the President noting on Twitter unspecified "signs that the shooter was mentally disturbed".
Last year, Mr Trump signed a bill reversing an Obama-era rule that would have expanded gun purchase background checks to include people receiving Social Security checks for mental illness and those who need a third party to help handle their financial affairs:
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