Jury selection began yesterday in the death penalty trial of Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed 17 students and staff members at a Parkland, Florida, school in 2018. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October for the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, so jurors will only need to decide whether he receives a death sentence or life in prison without parole.
The Parkland massacre is the deadliest high school shooting in US history. Cruz, then 19, opened fire in the school's halls with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, killing 17 people and wounding 17 others. Cruz, a former student at the school, eventually left campus and was arrested a few miles away. See other US mass shootings here.
The trial was originally set to start in 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic. It is expected to last at least four months. Florida is among 27 states that have the death penalty (see list here).
John_Warren
