UPDATE | As many as 17 dead in Fla. school shooting, 16 more wounded

4:15 p.m.

PARKLAND, Fla. (AP)

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.

5:40 p.m.

A man says he watched as officers arrested the suspect in the shooting at a Florida high school, where authorities are reporting as many as 17 deaths.

Michael Nembhard told The Associated Press he was in his garage watching TV news coverage of the shooting when he heard a police officer repeatedly yelling, “get on the ground!”

Nembhard says he looked up to see a teenage boy on the ground about 150 yards (meters) away with an officer pointing a gun at him. The officer stood over the boy until other officers arrived, handcuffed him and led him away.

A federal official who spoke on condition of anonymity identified the suspect as Nicolas Cruz. The official says he wasn’t authorized to discuss it publicly.

Authorities say the suspect is a former student about 18 years old.

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, 19 years old, into custody after locating him off the school grounds.

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.”

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.

A school official says there are numerous fatalities from the high school shooting in South Florida.

Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie sayid Wednesday afternoon: “There are numerous fatalities. It is a horrific situation.” He added, “It is a horrible day for us.”

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office tweeted Wednesday afternoon that “so far we have at least 14 victims.” The tweet added: “Victims have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital.”

The sheriff’s statement didn’t elaborate on the victims or the extent of their injuries.

The White House has canceled its daily press briefing after a Florida high school shooting that sent students rushing into the streets.

President Donald Trump has spoken with Florida Gov. Rick Scott about the shooting. He says in a tweet that the White House is “working closely with law enforcement on the terrible Florida school shooting.”

He earlier tweeted his condolences to the families of the victims.

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump has offered Florida federal assistance, if needed. The homeland security secretary has also been in touch with state and local officials.

Sanders says, “We continue to keep the victims, and their friends and family, in our thoughts and prayers.”

4:10 p.m.

Authorities say the shooter at a South Florida high school is now in custody.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office gave no details in briefly tweeting that development. It did not identify the shooting suspect nor say how the person was taken into custody.

Television footage showed police putting a person in the back of a police car outside the high school.

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

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

3:01

PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say they're responding to a shooting at a Florida high school; number of wounded unknown. The shooter was still at large as of 3:23 p.m.

This is a breaking news story. Check Vindy.com for updates.