Accused Parkland School Shooter Arrived In Uber

PARKLAND, FL — Accused Parkland school shooter Nikolas Jacob Cruz began his alleged murderous rampage in an Uber, according to court documents and the Broward County Sheriff. The 19-year-old Cruz would also make a stop at a Subway restaurant and a McDonald's before he was taken into custody on Thursday by an officer who thought twice about stopping him.

"Cruz stated that he was the gunman who entered the school campus armed with a AR-15 and began shooting students that he saw in the hallways and on the school grounds," court documents said. "Cruz stated that he brought additional loaded magazines to the school campus and kept them hidden in a backpack until he got on campus to begin his assault."

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson initially told Senate colleagues that Cruz wore a gas mask and brought smoke grenades to the attack, something that was dismissed by Broward Sheriff Scott Israel as false.

"The killer never was in possession of a gas mask or any type of smoke grenades," Israel said. "We did recover a balaclava." The term refers to a type of ski mask that is sometimes associated with commandos.

Cruz allegedly admitted that "as students began to flee the campus on foot he decided a plan to discard the AR-15 and vest with the additional magazines so he could blend into the crowd," the court documents said.

Court documents said that a male witness saw Cruz get out of a "small goldish colored vehicle" at the school. The witness told police that he recognized Cruz as a former troubled student. Officials said that the car was an Uber.

"Cruz was wearing a maroon shirt, black plants and a black hat," court documents said.

Here's the chronology of events as told by Israel, court documents and other law enforcement officials:

• At 2:06 p.m. a female Uber driver allegedly picked up Cruz, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
• Cruz allegedly arrived at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at 2:19 p.m. on Wednesday. The male witness told police that Cruz walked "purposefully" toward the 1200 building.
• Within a minute, the witness heard the first gunshots and called a "Code Red," which meant that the campus was experiencing an emergency.
• Cruz allegedly entered the east stairwell of Building 12 with a rifle in a black soft case or duffel bag. By the time Cruz emerged from the stairwell, he "pulled the rifle out of the case," according to Israel.
• At 2:21 p.m.: Cruz "readied his rifle and began shooting into rooms 1215, 1216, 1214. He went back to 1216, back to 1215 and then to 1213," Israel said.
• Cruz allegedly made his way up to the second floor using the west stairwell and "shot one victim in room 1234 on the second floor," Israel said.
• He then allegedly made his way over to the east stairwell and went up to the third floor. "He dropped his rifle and backpack, ran down the stairs," Israel explained.
• From there, Cruz allegedly left building 12 and ran towards the tennis courts before taking a southbound turn.
• "The suspect crossed fields and ran west along with others who were fleeing and tried to mix in with the group that were running away fearing for their lives."
• "The suspect arrived at the Walmart store. He bought a drink at the Subway and then left the Walmart on foot," Israel said.
• "The suspect went to McDonald's, sat down for a short period of time" at 3:01 p.m., Israel said.
• "At 3:41 p.m., 40 minutes after he departed from the McDonald's, the suspect was detained at 1400 block of Windham Lakes Boulevard South in Coral Springs" Israel said. Officer Michael Leonard of the Coconut Creek Police Department was identified as the arresting officer.
• Court documents said the initial male witness arrived at the location where Cruz was detained and identified him as the person he saw entering the school right before the shooting.
• Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Leonard of the Coconut Creek Police Department, said he spotted Cruz in a residential area wearing clothing that closely matched the description of the shooter. "He looked like a typical high school student and for a quick moment, I thought could this be the person? Is this who I need to stop? Training kicked in," the officer explained. "I pulled my vehicle over immediately, engaged the suspect. He complied with my commands and was taken into custody without any issues."
• The Uber driver told police that she dropped Cruz off at the school, according to court documents.
• Police said that Cruz was living in the 7200 block of Loxahatchee Road with James Snead and his family. Snead told police that he allowed Cruz to live in his home for the past few months following the deaths of Cruz' adopted parents. The teen's adopted mother died in November.
• The assault rifle that was allegedly used to kill 17 people and wound numerous others was found on the school grounds consistent with Cruz' account, according to court documents.
• Records kept by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showed that the weapon was purchased by Cruz in February of 2017.

Israel said that more than 2,000 interviews had been conducted by law enforcement officials in the first full day since the shootings.

Cruz has been formally charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office.

Photo courtesy Broward Sheriff's Office