Coral Springs dispatch calls released from Parkland school shooting

Recordings show initial confusion about which building shooting happened in

PARKLAND, Fla. – Dispatch calls from the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland were released Friday by the Coral Springs Police Department.

"There is an active shooter working at Douglas. Multiple gunshots are being fired," a dispatcher told officers.

During communication between officers and dispatchers, you can hear the chaos that unfolded as Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire, killing 17 people.

"Multiple gunshots are being filed -- we can hear them in the background. Our 911 lines are blowing up," a dispatcher said.

The audio recordings don't have a time stamp, so it's hard to tell at what times Coral Springs police and Broward Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the freshman building, where the shooting unfolded.  

What you can hear are attempts to clarify confusion as to what building the shooter was in.

"Units on the shooting. We have got three people shot in room 1216 in the freshman building. I am not sure (where) the building is though," one person said.

Once the building was identified, there was uncertainty about where the gun was.

"Last seen in the three-story building, north parking lot," an officer said.

Cruz was believed to have been wearing an ROTC burgundy shirt during the shooting.

"Attention, everybody. I got a camouflage jacket and I got a ski mask with a backpack here. He may have changed," an officer later says.

As school staff, paramedics and law enforcement raced to get the injured to safety, paramedics advised in the recording that some patients might have to be taken to several area hospitals

"Inside of this building -- we are pulling victims out, we need to set up triage at (inaudible) ASAP. We have three victims coming out," one person says.

A total of 14 students and three teachers were killed in the shooting. More than a dozen others were injured. 

Cruz is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

 


About the Author:

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School, Homestead Senior High School and graduated from St. Thomas University.