A student from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which was targeted this week by a mass shooting, has revealed how the gunman spared his life before he went on his sickening rampage.
Alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz is believed to have gone on a murderous rampage in his old high school with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing 17 people, including students and teachers, but not before warning another student, Chris McKenna.
The 15-year-old claims Cruz, who was expelled from high school for disciplinary and ‘behavioural reasons’, warned him just minutes before carrying out the sickening act.
Speaking to a local newspaper, McKenna encountered Cruz, who advised him to ‘get out of here’ and warned him, ‘things are gonna start getting messy’.
Chris says he froze for a minute before he went to warn assistant football coach Aaron Feis, who was unlocking the school gates.
Feis was labelled a hero following the tragedy after he died protecting students from Cruz’s bullets.
Speaking to the Sun-Sentinel McKenna said:
I told him I saw a gun.
He said ‘let me go check it out.’ Then he drove me to the baseball field, dropped me off, and went back to the school. That’s the last I saw of him.
Feis was among the three staff members of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Florida, who was killed in the shooting. According to witness accounts, he threw himself in front of students to protect them from the gunfire and was fatality wounded, he was taken to hospital where he died as a result of his injuries.
McKenna also revealed that three of his classmates were killed in the shooting, with another injured.
Speaking to the Sun-Sentinel, Chris said:
I’m in shock. That’s the only thing I can feel right now.
Cruz, who made his first court appearance on February 15, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder – he’s currently being held without bail and is yet to enter a plea, report The Guardian.
Reports have trickled in following the aftermath of the shooting, how the FBI and his school were aware of the potential danger Cruz posed.
According to the Independent, FBI agent Rob Lasky, who’s in charge of the investigation, said:
We are looking into his social media posts, his movements, his conversations leading up to the shooting, as well as any other indicators that may be out there.
Students as young as 14-years-old have been confirmed to be among the dead.
This week’s shooting at the Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School marks the 18th mass shooting in America this year.
