Several new audio files of calls made during the Parkland, Florida, shooting have been published by Broward County police. The redacted audio recordings offer a chilling depiction of the tragedy as it unfolded.
The recordings detail the initial commotion over events as Nikolas Kruz, 19, began his assault on students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15 rifle. 14 students and three teachers were killed in the shooting.
Only 10 of 81 calls to regional 911 operators were released on Thursday and portions of the audio have been redacted, with only one of the published calls made by someone within the school at the time.
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“Analysis of the audio tapes indicates that there was not a lot of accurate information, it was a rapidly evolving scene and the sounds of gunfire were difficult to pinpoint,” Broward Sheriff Colonel Jack Dale said in a statement.
One dispatcher attempted to gather information from a caller who was speaking with the mother of a student trapped in the 1200 building. When asked about the girl’s physical location, the man replies, “She doesn’t want to talk. The girl’s silent. She’s too afraid.”
One terrified parent spoke to operators as her daughter remained trapped inside the school. “My daughter just texted me from the school… She says there’s an active shooter,” she told first responders. “She says she’s behind the desk right now. She says the shots were close.”
The male student trapped inside the school made a brief but chilling call to authorities. “There’s shots at Stoneman Douglas,” he whispered to operators. “Someone is shooting up Marjory Stoneman Douglas,” he said before the call unexpectedly disconnects.
In an effort to assist reporters & the public in accessing accurate information, we have created the BSO Fact Check website: https://t.co/HjkxZPTDR9.
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) March 6, 2018
Law enforcement has faced harsh criticism for its failure to pick-up on clear signs that Cruz posed a threat and to act swiftly when the shooting unfolded. The Broward County Sheriff deputy assigned to the school did not enter the building to confront Cruz, instead standing outside. And despite multiple warnings from concerned members of the public, neither the FBI nor local law enforcement took decisive action to prevent Cruz’s trajectory into extreme violence.
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