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The fourth day of Nikolas Cruz's sentencing trial saw more witnesses testifying against him and more footage from the day of the shooting was also presented in court.
One of the videos shown in court was of Cruz's arrest following the massacre as the responding officers testified against him in court. This included Michael Leonard, the first officer to get hold of him.
Footage of Nikolas Cruz's arrest was played in the court
Officer Leonard recalled in court that Nikolas Cruz was apprehended by him as the latter was walking down the road following the horrific shooting. The officer also said that he drove around the neighborhood looking for the mass shooter after he was called to the scene.
Police officers were aware of how the suspect behind the attack looked. When he saw the person who fit the description, Officer Leonard pulled over his car.
The officer claimed that after turning around to face him, Cruz "looked at me" which was when he started yelling orders at Cruz. Leonard continued to say that the then 19-year-old Cruz obeyed all of the officer's requests and orders and also provided his identity when asked.
The court continued after the morning break with testimony from police officer Kyle Greene. Following Officer Leonard's initial identification and detention of Nikolas Cruz on February 14, 2018, Officer Greene arrived on the scene.
Officer Greene claimed that during Cruz's detention, he recovered a hat, a receipt, and more than $300 in cash. Cruz said that he was carrying six $50 bills, a $20 bill, a $10 bill, and a few dollar bills when he was arrested.
In other video footage from that day, Cruz can be seen sitting in a nearby McDonald's.
Nikolas Cruz is charged for killing 17 people
The now 23-year-old Cruz is a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Cruz was a member of the air rifle team and was kicked out of the school for having a poor behavior record.
In February 2018, he went on a rampage at the school, resulting in one of the bloodiest school shootings in US history. After turning himself in to the authorities, he admitted responsibility to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.
He had lawfully acquired the AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle with which he massacred the 17 people. As a result of the massacre, there was a widespread protest movement calling for stricter gun laws.
Cruz's defense is hoping for a life sentence while the prosecution wants to put him to death.
