The Latest on a deadly school shooting at a Florida high school (all times local):

The gunman accused of killing 17 people inside a Florida high school will plead guilty if prosecutors take the death penalty off the table, Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein confirmed Saturday. Finkelstein is representing Nikolas Cruz, who is being held without bail on 17 counts of premeditated murder.

Authorities have not described any specific motive, except to say that Cruz had been kicked out of the high school, which has about 3,000 students and serves an affluent suburb where the median home price is nearly $600,000. Students who knew him described a volatile teenager whose strange behavior had caused others to end friendships.

In the days following the attack, students who were caught in the crossfire at the school took politicians to task in the media and online.

"Politicians and more importantly the American public must take action if we're going to prevent the next shooting," said survivor David Hogg, who wrote an essay for "CBS This Morning." "To elected officials I say this: Don't lie to us. Don't make any more false promises, because when you do, children die."

One student asked President Trump to meet with her. Some teens have been critical of Mr. Trump for failing to mention guns in his comments about the attack.

On Friday evening, Mr. Trump visited a Florida hospital where he greeted medical staff and thanked the doctors, nurses and first responders who helped the shooting victims. He told reporters he also met with some of the victims who are still hospitalized. He later met with members of the Broward County Sheriff's office and local law enforcement, including Coconut Creek Police Officer Mike Leonard, who said he was the one who apprehended Cruz.

7:30 p.m.

Hundreds of people are attending a vigil for the 17 victims of a school shooting in Florida.

The vigil Thursday night began with a moment of silence for those slain at the school in Parkland. Audible sobs rose from the crowd as the names of victims were read.

Dressed in the school's colors, some held flowers while others wielded signs asking for action to fight school violence, including gun control. Members of the crowd spontaneously started shouting "no more guns, no more guns" at one point.

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5:30 p.m.

A Florida sheriff says the suspect in a high school shooting that killed 17 people fired into five classrooms before dropping his rifle and fleeing on foot.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz fired into three rooms on the first floor of the school in Parkland, then went back and fired again into two of those rooms. He says the shooter fired into one other room on that floor before moving to the second floor and shooting one person in a classroom there.

The sheriff says the gunman then dropped his rifle and backpack containing extra ammunition and ran out of the school. As he crossed fields, he tried to blend in with fleeing students.

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5:15 p.m.

A Florida sheriff says the suspect in a school shooting that killed 17 people stopped at fast food restaurants after the attack.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference Thursday that Nikolas Cruz tried to mix in with a group of students fleeing the school. The sheriff says he then headed to a Wal-Mart and bought a drink at a Subway restaurant before walking to a McDonald's.

Israel says Cruz was confronted by a police officer and taken into custody about 40 minutes after leaving the McDonald's.

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4:30 p.m.

A law enforcement official says he knows of "no known ties" between the suspect who confessed to a deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school and a white supremacist group.

Lt. Grady Jordan is a spokesman for the Leon County Sheriff's Office in Tallahassee, where the white nationalist militia known as the Republic of Florida is based. Jordan said Thursday that his office has arrested militia leader Jordan Jereb at least four times since January 2014 and has been monitoring the group's membership.

He says his office has "very solid" information on the group and "there's no known ties that we have that we can connect" 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz with the group.

Jereb told The Associated Press earlier Thursday that Cruz was a member and participated in paramilitary drills in Tallahassee.

Jereb said he didn't know Cruz personally and that "he acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he's solely responsible for what he just did."

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4 p.m.

A Broward County Sheriff's Office report says Nikolas Cruz confessed to being the shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

According to the report, he told interrogating officers that he "began shooting students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds" on Wednesday afternoon.

The report adds that Cruz told officers 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."

Cruz told investigators that as students began to flee, he decided to discard his AR-15 rifle and a vest he was wearing so he could blend in with the crowd. Police recovered the rifle and the vest.

The police report adds that Cruz purchased the rifle in February 2017, but does not say where it was purchased.

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3:25 p.m.

An attorney for the 19-year-old Florida man accused of killing 17 people at a high school says her client is sad and remorseful.

Public defender Melisa McNeill told reporters Thursday that Nikolas Cruz is fully aware of what's going on but he's also just a "broken human being." McNeill spoke after a judge ordered Cruz held without bond. She had her arm around Cruz during the brief hearing.

She became emotional while speaking to reporters, saying she's fully aware of the impact the shooting has had on the community.

Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

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2:50 p.m.

Uber has confirmed that the suspect in the deadly shooting rampage at a Florida high school used the ridesharing service before the shooting.

The company says it's assisting law enforcement with the investigation.

The company wouldn't answer questions about whether the Uber driver noticed anything concerning about the suspect's behavior or if he was carrying a gun or a large case.

Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.

Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.

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2:40 p.m.

The police officer who arrested the high school shooting suspect in Florida says the teen looked like a "typical high school student" when he spotted him walking away from the school.

Coconut Creek police officer Michael Leonard said his department was responding to the shooting Wednesday afternoon when he saw someone matching the description of the suspect. Leonard says he stopped him and he was taken into custody without incident.

Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.

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2:25 p.m.

Two federal law enforcement officials say the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle used in the deadly rampage at a high school was purchased legally at Sunrise Tactical Supply in Florida.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. A judge Thursday afternoon ordered him to be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.

Associated Press writer Sadie Gurman reported from Washington. Mike Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.

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2:05 p.m.

A Florida judge has ordered that the suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a high school will be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.

Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz was wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed at his waist during the Thursday afternoon hearing. His attorney did not contest the order and had her arm around Cruz during the brief court appearance.

Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people.

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12:55 p.m.

A Mississippi bail bondsman named Benjamin Bennight says he alerted the FBI last September after someone using the screen name "Nikolas Cruz" posted a comment on his YouTube channel saying: "Im going to be a professional school shooter."

Bennight explains in a video post that he flagged it for YouTube and called an FBI office in Mississippi to report it. He says FBI agents visited him the next day.

Agent Rob Lasky says the agency did a database review but couldn't determine the time, location or true identity of the person making the comment.

Bennight says the FBI came calling again within hours of the shooting. He says "they're going to have to get with YouTube about where the comment originated, but I think they already know."

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12:50 p.m.

The leader of a white nationalist militia says Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was a member of his group and participated in paramilitary drills in Tallahassee.

Jordan Jereb told The Associated Press on Thursday that his group wants Florida to become its own white ethno-state. He said his group holds "spontaneous random demonstrations" and tries not to participate in the modern world.

Jereb said he didn't know Cruz personally and that "he acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he's solely responsible for what he just did."

He also said he had "trouble with a girl" and he believed the timing of the attack, carried out on Valentine's Day, wasn't a coincidence.

Nineteen-year-old Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the shooting.

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12:35 p.m.

The Dollar Tree retail chain confirms that the Florida high school shooting suspect worked at their store in Parkland.

In a Thursday statement, the Dollar Tree says they'll share any information about 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz with local and federal officials that may help with the investigation. The retailer also expressed sympathy for the Parkland community and those affected by the Wednesday attack that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the shooting.

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12:25 p.m.

A sheriff's deputy responding to a report of gunfire at a private school near the site of a mass shooting a Florida high school accidentally fired his gun, injuring his leg.

The Broward Sheriff's Office said in a news release that the deputy was among law enforcement officers responding to reports of shots being fired at North Broward Preparatory School on Thursday morning. He was treated for his injuries at the scene and no one else was injured.

The initial report was investigated and sheriff's officials said it was unfounded.

In the meantime, all Broward County high schools are on a "code yellow," which means students should remain in classrooms with doors locked. Officials said this is precautionary following the Wednesday afternoon shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale.

Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Wednesday afternoon shooting in Parkland, Florida.

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The 19-year-old suspect in a deadly school shooting in Florida has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

Nikolas Jacob Cruz was booked into the Broward County Jail early Thursday, still wearing the hospital gown he was given after being treated for labored breathing following his arrest. He was later questioned overnight before being booked into jail.

Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said Cruz was a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which is a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. He is accused of entering the campus just before school was dismissed on Wednesday afternoon and opening fire on students and teachers.

Officials said another 14 people have been treated at area hospitals.

Cruz, who is listed at 5-foot-7 and 131-pounds, is being held without bond. Jail records don't list an attorney for him.

6:15 a.m.

The 19-year-old suspect in a deadly rampage at a Florida high school is being booked into jail after being questioned for hours by state and federal authorities.

Television footage showed Nikolas Cruz being escorted by sheriff's deputies from the Broward Sheriff's headquarters to the county jail in Fort Lauderdale early Thursday morning.

Seventeen people were killed as gunfire erupted at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School just before classes ended Wednesday afternoon.

Cruz was captured in a quiet neighborhood about two miles from the school. Sheriff's officials said in an email that Cruz was initially taken to a hospital for labored breathing before being questioned at sheriff's headquarters.

Counselors are being made available for students, teachers and staff, but the school will remain closed as an investigation continues.

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1:01 a.m.

Just before the shooting broke out, some students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School thought they were having another fire drill.

Such an exercise had forced them to leave their classrooms hours earlier. So when the alarm went off Wednesday afternoon shortly before they were to be dismissed, they once again filed out into the hallways.

That's when police say 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, equipped with a gas mask, smoke grenades and multiple magazines of ammunition, opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 17 people and sending hundreds of students fleeing into the streets. It was the nation's deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, more than five years ago.

9:30 p.m.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has joined law enforcement agents near the site of the deadly school shooting and offered his condolences to the victims' families and survivors. He says the attack that claimed at least 17 lives "is just absolutely pure evil."

Scott told reporters Wednesday evening he can't imagine what the families of the victims are going through. He also said he would be visiting hospitalized survivors.

Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County also said at the news conference that families of the dead are being notified. He says 12 of the dead have been identified. He says not all victims were carrying identification and thus couldn't be quickly identified.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi says the state will cover funeral expenses for the victims and counseling for survivors.

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9:15 p.m.

A law enforcement official says the former student suspected of killing at least 17 people at a South Florida high school posted highly disturbing material on social media before the shooting rampage.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Wednesday the 19-year-old suspect, Nikolas Cruz, had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for unspecified disciplinary reasons.

Israel says investigators are dissecting the suspect's social media posts and found material that is "very, very disturbing." He didn't elaborate.

An ex-schoolmate recalled Cruz posting on Instagram about killing animals and said he talked of doing target practice in his backyard with a pellet gun.

A school superintendent, Robert Runcie, told reporters he didn't know of any concerns raised about Cruz.

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8:35 p.m.

A student who escaped the deadly shooting at a Florida high school says he knew the suspect when he attended the school, describing him as a "weird kid" and something of a "loner."

Authorities said 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz is in custody after the attack Wednesday that claimed 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Officials say Cruz was a former student, having been expelled from the school.

Student Daniel Huerfano told The Associated Press he remembers seeing Cruz walking around the school with his lunch bag, adding, "He was that weird kid that you see ... like a loner."

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8:15 p.m.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida says he is "devastated and saddened" by the deadly shooting attack on a high school in his state.

The Republican senator says he remains ready to assist state and local officials and "anyone impacted by this horrible tragedy." He also said in his statement Wednesday that he hopes authorities can find out in coming hours and days more about why and how the killer "carried out this carnage."

Meanwhile, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida has also issued condolences. She called the attack in Parkland, Florida, "another senseless school shooting ... this time in our community."

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7:50 p.m.

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says the deadly school shooting in Florida should "strike fear into all Americans."

The Democrat from Arizona was shot in the head and survived a shooting attack in 2011.

She said in a statement Wednesday that her heart goes out to the victims and survivors of the school shooting that claimed 17 lives in Parkland, Florida. She called it the latest attack in an epidemic of gun violence that continues "days after deadly day."

She also says in a statement that the latest in a series of deadly U.S. shootings should stir fresh resolve in Congress to "find the courage to pass the laws we need to protect our children."

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7:30 p.m.

Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida says the shooter in the attack on a high school in his state wore a gas mask and had smoke grenades.

The Florida Democrat said in an interview with CNN that he was briefed on the attack by the FBI.

Nelson says the attacker "set off the fire alarm so the kids would come pouring out of the classrooms into the hall. And there the carnage began."

Nelson says he did not know if the gunman had used the smoke grenades but he assumed that's why he had a gas mask on.

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7:15 p.m.

Doctors say 16 people wounded in a deadly shooting at a Florida high school are being treated at area hospitals.

Dr. Evan Boyar at Broward Health North told reporters Wednesday that eight victims and the suspect had been brought to his hospital. Boyar says two victims died, three were in critical condition and three were in stable condition. He says three patients were still in the operating room Wednesday evening. The suspect was treated and released to police.

Boyar says all the victims were shot but declined to comment on their ages or the extent of their wounds.

Eight other victims were taken to other hospitals, but he did not have information on their conditions.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says a 19-year-old former student has been arrested in the shooting that killed 17 people.

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6:35 p.m.

Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Florida says lawmakers have offered their condolences after the latest school shooting, this one in his district.

Deutch says he found his colleagues' outreach - in his words - both "heartwarming and obscene." Authorities say 17 people died in Wednesday's attack in Parkland, Florida, and the suspect, a 19-year-old former student, is in custody.

The congressman says he uses the word "obscene" because school shootings have become so commonplace that lawmakers were offering him guidance on what to expect in coming days as constituents grapple with the tragedy.

Deutch says it's time to find ways to save lives. He says he wants President Donald Trump to call those concerned to the White House to "do something" about gun violence.

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6:30 p.m.

A Florida sheriff says that 12 of the 17 confirmed deaths in Wednesday's shooting attack on a high school were found in the school.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says the attack began outside the school Wednesday afternoon.

He told reporters that authorities subsequently found 12 people dead in the building and two more dead just outside the school and one more in a nearby street. Israel says two other people died later under medical treatment.

Israel says the suspect, a 19-year-old former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, is in custody. He says the male suspect was checked out at a hospital after his arrest and is now being held at a secure location in a public building.

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6:05 p.m.

A sheriff says 17 people have died in the shooting attack on a South Florida high school.

Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County says the 19-year-old suspect is in custody and that investigators are beginning to "dissect" what happened in the attack Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

He says the suspect, a former student, was previously expelled for disciplinary reasons.

Israel says the man had at least one rifle and multiple magazines.

He says most of the fatalities were inside the building though some were found fatally shot outside.

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5:20 p.m.

A federal official has identified the Florida school shooting suspect as Nicolas Cruz.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The official says he had been briefed on the investigation into the shooting at the South Florida high school, but was not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Authorities in Florida say the shooter opened fire at the school Wednesday afternoon, killing "numerous" people. The shooting sent frightened students running out into the streets and SWAT team members swarming the building.

Authorities later announced that they had taken a former student, about 18 years old, into custody after locating him off the school grounds.

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5 p.m.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says the Florida high school shooting suspect is a former student about 18 years old.

He says the suspect was arrested without incident off school grounds in a nearby community. He didn't elaborate on when the suspect had attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parikland.

A shooter opened fire at the school Wednesday afternoon, killing "numerous" people, sending students running out into the streets and SWAT team members swarming in before authorities took the shooter into custody.

Israel says the FBI has arrived and will begin processing what he describes as "horrific scene."

He called it a "catastrophic day."

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4:40 p.m.

Parents described scenes of chaos as they rushed to find their frightened children after a shooting at a South Florida high school.

Caesar Figueroa says he was one of the first parents to arrive at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, seeking his 16-year-old daughter after the shooting there.

A shooter opened fire at the school Wednesday, killing several people and sending students running out into the streets as SWAT team members swarming in. Authorities later reported they had taken the shooting suspect into custody.

Figueroa says: "It was crazy and my daughter wasn't answering her phone."

According to Figueroa, she texted him that she was hidden in a school closet with friends after she heard gunshots.

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4:25 p.m.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office now reports at least 14 people were injured in the Wednesday afternoon shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

The school district's superintendent reports "numerous fatalities" in the shooting.

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4 p.m.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office says the suspected shooter is in custody after a school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

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3:55 p.m.

The shooting at a South Florida high school sent students rushing into the streets as SWAT team members swarmed in and locked down the building. Police were warning that the shooter was still at large even as ambulances converged on the scene and emergency workers appeared to be treating those possibly wounded.

Aerial television news footage showed police in olive fatigues, with weapons drawn, entering the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Then dozens of students could be seen frantically running and others quickly walking out. A police officer waved the students on, urging them to quickly evacuate the school.

Some students exited the building in single-file rows with hands raised overhead to show they carried no weapons. Others held onto other students as they made their way out past helmeted police in camouflage with weapons drawn.

Emergency medical personnel pulled stretchers from the backs of ambulances as police cars surrounded the parking lot. At least one person was seen being wheeled to the ambulance on a gurney. It wasn't immediately clear how many people were wounded.

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3:45 p.m.

Len Murray's 17-year-old son, a junior at the South Florida high school where shooting was reported, sent his parents a chilling text: "Mom and Dad, there have been shots fired on campus at school. There are police sirens outside. I'm in the auditorium and the doors are locked."

Those words came at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. A few minutes later, he texted again: "I'm fine."

Murray raced to the school only to be stopped by authorities under a highway overpass within view of the school buildings in Parkland.

No information was immediately given to parents, Len Murray says. And he says he remained worried for all those inside.

"I'm scared for the other parents here. You can see the concern in everybody's faces. Everybody is asking, 'Have you hard from your child yet?'"

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3:15 p.m.

Authorities say a shooter at a Florida high school is still at large.

The Broward Sheriff's Office shared the information on its Twitter account after Wednesday afternoon's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were wounded.

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2:30 p.m.

Authorities say they're responding to a shooting at a Florida high school.

The Broward Sheriff's Office has told news outlets the shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were wounded.