An American nightmare unfolded earlier today at a high school in Broward County in Florida after a former student came onto campus and opened fire, killing 17 and injuring many others.

Details are beginning to emerge amid a flurry of police activity at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where students puzzled at the sound of a fire alarm going off just before dismissal were launched into a panic when gunfire punctuated the din.

As teachers and students fled hallways and hid under desks, a former student who teachers and parents say was known to be dangerous came onto campus and unloaded, leaving a trail of bodies and stunned confusion in his wake.

The 19-year-old shooter, Nicolas de Jesus Cruz, has been taken into police custody.

[Source: www.cnn.com & stuff.co.nz]