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As the sentencing hearing for Nikolas Cruz continues, on Monday, jurors were shown cell phone videos of Cruz discussing his plans for the attack. The 23-year-old was convicted of carrying out a massacre in Parkland, Florida in 2018.
On February 14, 2018 Cruz, who was 19 at the time, reportedly entered Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, armed with an AR-15. He started shooting at and attacking students and members of the staff. Cruz, who fled the authorities by blending in with the other students, was arrested by police.
In October 2021, he pleaded guilty to 17 murders and 17 attempted murders.
In the investigation following the shooting, authorities claimed that there was evidence that Cruz had meticulously planned the entire attack. His search history showed that he had researched weapons and police response times before the massacre.
In videos recovered from Cruz's cellphone, he is heard discussing his plans to use his legally purchased AR-15 to attack people at the school. It was also reported that at least one of the videos on his phone was filmed on the day of the shooting.
The planning and preparation of Nikolas Cruz
In the footage shown to the jury, Nikolas Cruz is seen laying out a step-by-step plan before the shooting.
Cruz said:
"Today is the day. The day that it all begins. The day of my massacre."
The shooter also added:
"All right, here’s the plan. I’m gonna go take a Uber in the afternoon before 2:40. From there I’m gonna go onto the school campus, walk up the stairs, go into my bags and get my AR and shoot people down in the main courtyard, and wait, and people will die."
In a different video, Nikolas Cruz is seen claiming that he believes that the shooting will make him famous. He even acknowledged his intention to kill as many people as he could at Stoneman Douglas High. His minimum target was 20 victims.
In another video, the shooter stated his name and said that he is going to be "the next school shooter of 2018." After stating the location of the shooting, Cruz added that it was going to "be a big event."
Another one of Cruz's videos was also shown and in this one, he talked about how excited he was to go on the news following the attack. He is seen saying that when everyone sees him on the news, they'd know who he is.
The then-teen, chillingly, added:
"You're all going to die. Can't wait."
Alongside the videos, Cruz's digital history and texts seem to show that he was considering the attack for a long time. He had searched for "AR-15," "school shooters," and "how to fight." The shooter had also looked up past shootings like the 1999 Columbine massacre.
The ongoing hearing will determine whether Nikolas Cruz is given the death penalty or life in prison.
