WASHINGTON.
BRET, A HORRIFYING THING TO
WATCH.
>> Bret: THANK YOU, SHEPARD.
THIS IS A FOX NEWS ALERT.
I BRET BAIER IN WASHINGTON.
BUSY DAY IN THE NATION'S
CAPITAL.
SEVERAL MAJOR STORIES HERE BUT
WE BEGIN TONIGHT IN
SOUTH FLORIDA.
THERE HAS BEEN A SHOOTING IN A
HIGH SCHOOL IN PARKLAND NORTH OF
MIAMI AND THERE ARE REPORTS OF
INJURIES AND WITH THE SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT BECAUSE NUMEROUS
FATALITIES.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF UNCONFIRMED
NUMBERS.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO THROW THOSE
OUT THERE RIGHT NOW BUT MULTIPLE
FATALITIES IS WHAT WE ARE
HEARING FROM OFFICIALS AT THIS
MOMENT.
THE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY.
BEING TRANSPORTED NOW.
YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE ON THE
SCENE.
PHIL KEATING IS ON THE SCENE
RIGHT NOW WITH THE VERY LATEST.
GOOD EVENING, PHIL.
>> GOOD EVENING, BRET.
THIS DAY, ABSOLUTELY
CATASTROPHIC IN THE WORDS OF THE
BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF SCOTT
ISRAEL WHO PERHAPS WITHIN
15 MINUTES IS EXPECTED TO COME
OUT HERE AND UPDATE THE MEDIA ON
THIS HORRIFIC DAY IN
BROWARD COUNTY, ESPECIALLY FOR
CONFIRMED BY MULTIPLE PEOPLE OF
MULTIPLE FATALITIES.
WE DON'T KNOW THE TOTAL NUMBER
AT THIS POINT.
IN THE DISTANCE, YOU CAN SEE WE
ARE ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILE
FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL.
MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS
HIGH SCHOOL.
FOUR GRADES, 3,000 STUDENTS,
DESCRIBED AS YOUR EVERYDAY
AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL BY STUDENTS
I'VE SPOKEN WITH.
YOU HAVE THE BOMB SQUAD DOWN
THERE.
FBI MOBILE COMMAND CENTER.
HUNDREDS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT
VEHICLES ARE HERE AND NO TRAFFIC
CAN GET CLOSER TO THE
HIGH SCHOOL.
NEARBY HOTELS AND ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS.
THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THE
EVACUATED STUDENTS HAVE BEEN
TAKEN TO RENDEZVOUS WITH THEIR
PARENTS IN A VERY PANIC-FILLED
THREE OR FOUR HOURS THIS
AFTERNOON.
ALL OF THIS HAPPENING AROUND
4:00 -- 2:30 EASTERN TIME RIGHT
AS THE SCHOOL DAY WAS JUST ABOUT
TO END.
HELICOPTER AERIALS PROVIDED BY
WSVN SHOWING STUDENTS RUNNING
FOR THEIR LIVES AND FOR SAFETY
WITH BACKPACKS STILL ON.
REMINISCENT OF WHAT WE SAW BACK
IN THE 90s I THINK COLUMBINE
COLUMBINE -- AT THE COLUMBINE
HIGH SCHOOL MASSACRE.
THE SUSPECT WAS ARRESTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT ABOUT A MILE AND A
HALF AWAY FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL
AND HE'S BEEN NAMED.
ACCORDING TO THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS, CITING AN
UNNAMED FEDERAL OFFICIAL, AS
NICHOLAS CRUZ, 18 YEARS OLD,
DESCRIBED AS A FORMER STUDENT OF
THE HIGH SCHOOL BUT NOT A
CURRENT STUDENT.
SOME REPORTS FROM STUDENTS
INSIDE THE SCHOOL AT THE TIME
THE SHOOTING OR THAT THE ALARM
HAD BEEN PULLED FOR A REGULARLY
SCHEDULED FIRE DRILL EARLIER
THAT DAY.
AROUND 2:30 P.M., THAT'S WHEN
THE SUSPECT AND SHOOTER PULLED
THE ALARM AND STARTED SHOOTING
STUDENTS AS THEY FLED THE
CLASSROOMS TO RUN DOWN THE
HALLWAYS.
WE DO BELIEVE INSIDE THE SCHOOL
THERE ARE CASUALTIES THAT REMAIN
ON THE GROUND AND WHAT IS GOING
TO BE AN ENORMOUS CRIME SCENE.
SOME OF THE MOST TEAR FELT
MOMENTS CAME THIS AFTERNOON WHEN
THE BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT ROBERT RUNCIE
SPOKE ABOUT WHAT HE KNEW AND
WHAT HE SAW AT THAT MOMENT.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> CAN'T CONFIRM THE NUMBER AT
THIS POINT THAT THERE ARE
FATALITIES INVOLVED HERE.
>> Reporter: CAN YOU TELL US
HOW MANY TRANSPORTS, MAYBE A
DOZEN?
>> I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER
THAT'S BEEN TRANSPORTED AT THIS
POINT.
AGAIN, THERE ARE NUMEROUS
FATALITIES.
IT'S A HORRIFIC SITUATION.
>> STUDENTS AND TEACHERS INSIDE
THE SCHOOL TOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT
THE SUSPECTED SHOOTER WAS
WEARING A BLACK HAT, BURGUNDY
SHIRT, BLACK PANTS AND THAT'S
THE EXACT OUTFIT BEING WARNED BY
THE SUSPECT HANDCUFFED AND TAKEN
INTO CUSTODY.
THAT SUSPECT I DEED AS NICHOLAS
CRUZ, 18 YEARS OLD, TAKEN TO A
NEARBY HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT.
WE DON'T KNOW THE EXTENT OF HIS
INJURIES BUT ACCORDING TO
STUDENTS INSIDE THE SCHOOL, THEY
HAD HEARD ABOUT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS
BUT THEY SAID WHAT HAPPENED HERE
TODAY WAS UNIMAGINABLE.
>> I WAS PRAYING TO GOD THINKING
HE COULD SAVE US AND WE COULD
MAKE IT OUT ALIVE.
I CALLED MY PARENTS.
IT'S SO CRAZY.
ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS MY
FAMILY, MY FRIENDS, EVERYTHING.
YOU NEVER THINK IT WOULD HAPPEN
TO YOU BUT IT DOES.
>> AS THIS WAS UNFOLDING AND
POLICE OFFICERS IN S.W.A.T.
TEAMS WERE GOING CLASSROOM TO
CLASSROOM CLEARING THEM OUT,
RELEASING THE STUDENTS TO SAFETY
OUTSIDE THE BUILDING, IT WAS
TRULY AN UNIMAGINABLE DAY FOR
ELECTED LEADERS.
THE GOVERNOR, THE PRESIDENT BOTH
TWEETING OUT COMMENTS,
EXPRESSING GRIEF AND CONDOLENCES
TO THE FAMILIES.
GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT OF FLORIDA
IS ON HIS WAY DOWN HERE AND
SHOULD BE ARRIVING SOON TO BE
HERE IN PERSON TONIGHT.
SENATOR BILL NELSON SPOKE WITH
SHEPARD SMITH THIS AFTERNOON
LIVE ON THE AIR, ONE OF TWO
FLORIDA SENATORS.
HE SERIOUSLY LAMENTS THE FACT
THAT HE IS ONCE AGAIN RESPONDING
TO YET ANOTHER SCHOOL SHOOTING.
>> OUR HEART GOES OUT TO THE
FAMILIES OF THE STUDENTS, THE
SCHOOL, THEY ARE GRIEVING.
I HAVE ALREADY SAID MY PRAYERS
TO GIVE THEM COMFORT, BUT THIS
IS A TOUGH TIME.
>> WE ARE EXPECTING
BROWARD COUNTY SHERIFF SCOTT
ISRAEL, WHO WAS APPEARING LAST
YEAR AT THE FORT LAUDERDALE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT THAT
HORRIBLE CRIME SCENE.
HE IS AND ON POINT, ON THE SCENE
SHERIFF SO WE ARE EXPECTING HIM
HERE IN THE HALF-HOUR.
IT IS VALENTINE'S DAY AND SOME
OF THE STUDENTS FIRST
INTERVIEWED BY LOCAL MEDIA THIS
MORNING SAID WE HEARD A POP,
POP, POP.
WE HEARD THEY WERE
VALENTINE'S DAY BALLOONS BEING
POPPED BY STUDENTS BECAUSE THERE
WERE NUMEROUS VALENTINE'S DAY
PARTIES INSIDE THE HIGH SCHOOL.
UNFORTUNATELY THOSE TURNED OUT
TO BE NOT THE SOUNDS OF
BALLOONS, BRET, BUT THE SOUNDS
OF GUNFIRE.
>> Bret: THE STUDENTS INSIDE
THE CLASSROOMS TRYING TO GET OUT
OF THE SCHOOL AS AUTHORITIES
WERE TRYING TO GET THEM OUT.
A COUPLE STUDENTS TALKING TO OUR
LOCAL AFFILIATE.
DON'T HAVE THOSE SOUND BITES
YET.
WANT TO ASK YOU, THE SHOOTER IS
BELIEVED TO HAVE GONE TO THAT
SCHOOL.
18 YEARS OLD BUT HAD SOME
HISTORY ABOUT TALKING ABOUT
SHOWING PICTURES OF GUNS,
ACCORDING TO TRACE GALLAGHER,
GETTING THAT FROM AUTHORITIES.
>> THAT WAS ALSO FROM A STUDENT
AT THE SCHOOL BEING INTERVIEWED
BY OUR FOX MIAMI AFFILIATE
SAYING HE KNEW WHO THE KID WAS.
HE'D BEEN IN AN ALTERNATIVE
SCHOOL WITH HIM IN YEARS PAST.
DIDN'T LIKE TO ASSOCIATE WITH
THE GUY BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THE
GUY MAY HAVE BEEN TROUBLE,
SHOWING HIMSELF ON PHOTOS OF HIS
GUNS AND ACCORDING TO
TRACE GALLAGHER AND THE