Nikolas Cruz has confessed to killing 17 people Wednesday at a high school in Parkland, Florida, The Associated Press reported Thursday. Cruz reportedly made the confession to investigating authorities after making his first court appearance earlier Thursday.
Cruz's confession was detailed in court documents for a probable cause hearing, The Washington Post said. In them, Cruz is quoted as telling investigators that he "began shooting students that he saw in the hallways and on school grounds" at his former school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
In the documents, Cruz explained that he had extra ammunition concealed in his backpack for his weapon, a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle. He also said that he decided to rid himself of his gun and ammunition vest so that he could leave the school with the hordes of evacuating students and evade detection by authorities.
Cruz was finally captured about a mile away from the school, and is being held without bail on 17 counts of premeditated murder.