making news in america this morning, breaking details overnight in the florida school shooting rampage. >> oh, my god. critically injur and a line of vehicles escorting the suspect from a hospital where he was treated after being taken into custody. >> hours earlier the country watched what sadly is becoming a familiar scene, children evacuating school with their hands in the air. many had barricaded themselves inside classrooms huddled under desks until police finally led them out of the building. we have team coverage and reaction of the tragedy. >> kenneth moton is in washington with lawmakers' reaction but first maggie rulli at the shooting scene. maggie. >> reporter: diane and kendis, good morning. this is one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern u.s. history, and now investigators here in parkland are speaking with students trying to learn more about the shooter and his possible motive.

overnight, police searched the home of suspected shooter nikolas cruz looking for any clues as to why just hours earlier the 19-year-old opened fire inside his former high school. this video shows the terror inside the school. the audio too disturbing to broadcast. >> so, when i took my headphones off, the alarm was going off, and i heard the shots, and then i saw the shooter run to mr. feis and i saw mr. feis get shot. >> reporter: students, some barely teenagers, hiding under desks fearing for their lives. >> we were just like praying and crying, and i don't know how we're alive. >> somebody down the hall was screaming like help me, come save me. >> reporter: s.w.a.t. teams swarmed the school. >> he went from the third floor to the second floor. third to the second floor. he may have a gas mask on. >> reporter: parents desperate to contact their children. students still looking for their

friends. in the chaos the shooter walks right out with the other students escaping. he was later arrested without incident. police say cruz was armed with an ar-15 rifle and was wearing a gas mask. the school says he was expelled for disciplinary reasons, and faculty had been warned to not let him on campus. >> school represented something to this shooter. his anger and revenge was vented on this school for either something that happened to him there when he was a student. that's unclear at this point. >> reporter: school here is closed for the rest of the week, and the town is bringing in grief counselors for the students starting this morning. diane and kendis. >> all right. that's maggie rulli for us live in parkland, florida. maggie, thank you. and many of those who know the suspect are painting a dark picture of a young man obsessed with weapons. >> new video shows a s.w.a.t. team taking him into custody about a mile from the school. one classmate says years ago when they were in the seventh grade, the suspected shooter punched a window and said,

quote, i'm going to cause karma one day. >> he's prepared for this stuff. >> reporter: students at the school say it's no surprise he's been named the gunman describing him as a troubled young man. the 19-year-old was known to show off knives and guns on his social media account. >> a lot of people were saying that it was going to be him so that we actually -- all the kids said jokes like that saying he's the one that would shoot up the school but turns out everyone predicted it. that's crazy. >> reporter: students say he was also known to make threats about shooting up the school. >> he said, i swear to god i'll shoot up this school, and then i was like, yo, watch what you're saying around me, and then i just left him after that. he came up to me later in the day and apologized for what he said, and i told security. >> reporter: the teen was expelled last year after school officials say they found bullet fragments in his bag. >> last year he had a lot of conflicts in school. i mean, he got in a fight with this one kid, and then from what i know, he wasn't allowed to bring his backpack because they found bullet casings in it.

>> reporter: jim guard is a math teacher at the school. he had the suspect as a student last year. >> i remember nik in class. he was quiet. as far as going into specifics and academics and all that, obviously you can't do that. he was a quiet kid in class. we got along. >> reporter: relatives say the suspect was adopted by an older couple at birth. his father died when he was 4 years old. his mother dying in november from flu complications. since then he's been in the care of a family friend. his neighbor said she was terrified of him. >> i had him in my math class last year, and he was -- he had like a lot -- i had a lot of suspicions about him. me and my friend, like we always said that something might happen and we don't want to be one of his targets because he said that he wanted to go to the military to shoot people. like i remember that so clearly. >> reporter: abc news has learned he used an ar-15 assault rifle. florida senator bill nelson saying the suspect pulled fire alarms to get students out of the classrooms.

>> the shooter wore a gas mask and he had smoke grenades. he went and set off the fire alarm so the kids would come pouring out of the classrooms into the hall, and there the carnage began. >> reporter: following the shooting he tried to escape by blending in with students who were fleeing the school. >> white male, burgundy shirt wearing a black hat and either long black pants or shorts. he mixed in with a group of students that were running westbound. >> reporter: he was later taken into custody without a fight. authorities say the suspected gunman posted disturbing material on social media before the rampage. as for the weapon that was used, a family attorney is quoted as saying the ar-15 was bought legally. that style of rifle was also used in the las vegas, orlando and newtown, connecticut, massacres. and one of the first shooting victims to be identified in the attack is now

being called a hero. aaron feis was a football coach and security guard at the school. witnesses say he jumped in front of students to protect them from the gunfire. and another man also helped save lives. students say a janitor at the school directed them to turn around as they were unknowingly running toward the shooter. >> and we were running. we were running towards the shooter, but thank god for this janitor that stopped us and said, no, don't go that way, and then chef kurth, the room we were all closest the culinary classroom she pulled us in and packed us in like sardines. as a result of chef kurth's actions and that janitor's actions, a few hundred lives were probably saved today as a result. >> he says he stayed in that classroom until the s.w.a.t. team arrived and we'll hear from more students coming up later this half hour. but coming up next, the other news of the morning. president trump breaks his silence about the rob porter scandal. >> and later the emotional scenes of parents and kids embracing after that tragedy in

the domestic violence scandal plaguing the white house has triggered a congressional investigation. tray gowdy, the republican chair of the house oversight committee says he wants to know how someone like former white house aide rob porter could be considered for employment. meanwhile, president trump has denounced abuse for the first time since porter's two ex-wives went public with their allegations. >> i am totally opposed to domestic violence of any kind. everyone knows that, and it almost wouldn't even have to be said. so, now you hear it, but you all know it. thank you all very much. >> vice president mike pence has now acknowledged that the white house's response to the allegations could have been handled better, and house speaker paul ryan spoke about the scandal on wednesday saying if a person committing domestic

violence gets into the government, then there is a, quote, breakdown in the system. former white house chief of staff reince priebus is now claiming that he helped stop president trump from accepting the resignation of the attorney general jeff sessions. in the upcoming book titled "the gatekeepers" priebus tells the author chris whipple about his rocky tenure in the west wing describing one crisis after another saying trump is a man who fears no one and nothing and there is absolutely nothing he's intimidated by. and new overnight, a 4-year-old girl from south carolina is now safe in the arms of police a day after being kidnapped. officers in riverside, alabama, found heidi todd last night thanks to a tip. she was abducted tuesday from outside charleston, secret, during a violent home invasion. the suspect, an ex-con, has been captured in mississippi after reportedly being found asleep in a truck. to medical news now and the fda has approved the first blood test that can help diagnose a concussion. the test measures the level of

proteins released when the brain is injured. it can be taken within 12 hours of the injury. and doctors call this an important step because ct scans don't always detect concussions. l.l. bean is facing a class action lawsuit after rescinding its century-old return policy. the company has changed its unlimited 100% guarantee and now limits most returns to just a year. it says too many people were abusing the old policy. some, they were trying to return items bought at yard sales but the illinois man behind the lawsuit calls the move a breach of warranty. when we come back, an american strikes gold at the olympics after a big comeback. but first the gun control debate is reignited after the school shooting in florida. we're live in washington with new reaction. your body was made for better things than rheumatiod arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra

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from that horrible valentine's day there in south florida as we learn some new information about the suspect in the florida school shooting. he was reportedly expelled from that school because of bullet casings found in his backpack and a previous fight with another student. he's due in court later today and we're also learning some chilling new details about how the gunman carried out his attack. >> police say he pulled the fire alarm while wearing a gas mask and then walked out as if he were one of the escaping students. former fbi special agent steve gomez says this raises security concerns for schools everywhere and points to a calculated act. >> probably also indicates that he had many so kind of active vengeance he was going to play out in his own mind. there had to have been some kind of friction, some type of vendetta he had with the targets he was going after. they definitely have to start looking at school policies all over the country as far as nonstudents and nonfaculty being

allowed into the campus and how that is done because you're always going to have visitors at the schools so then it's a question of where are those visitors going to be allowed to come in and are they going to be monitored when they are making entrance into the campus. do they have to go to a main office to be checked in and not to let any visitor go to the actual classrooms. >> and gomez says it's also important for students to be trained to in the words of homeland security run, hide or fight. and lawmakers in washington are offering condolences in the aftermath of that florida attack. >> but critics say condolences and prayers aren't enough. abc's kenneth moton joins us now from washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and diane. it's become the norm after a mass shooting to talk briefly about gun laws. that's already in full effect on capitol hill as the country waits to see what action, if any, comes from washington. this morning, washington lawmakers react yet again to one of the worst mass shootings in this nation's history. >> we keep saying enough is enough, but then it happens

again. >> reporter: president trump responding not on camera but in a tweet, my prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible florida shooting. no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an american school. florida representative fred crefredricka wilson also tweeted, it's heartbreaking that these incidents take place in school, a place where our children should feel and be the most safe. >> whether it's a law or a program or both, of course, we'll be open to that but it's got to work. >> reporter: the 18th school shooting this year according to everytown for gun safety. this ranks among the top five deadliest. >> it's a bad day. once we get into the investigation, how did he acquire the weapon? >> reporter: these tragedies typically spark a brief debate over gun control. >> this is an epidemic, and yet congress continues to do absolutely nothing. >> reporter: senator chris murphy of connecticut where so many children were shot and killed in newtown on the floor

of the senate. >> we are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel. >> reporter: the white house has offered federal assistance to florida officials. president trump has no public events today, so no word if or when he'll address this latest mass shooting on camera. diane and kendis. >> all right. that's kenneth moton for us, thank you. as you expect, many of the athletes at the olympics are pausing to pay tribute to the shooting victims. >> and american pairs skater alexa keir rim broke down in tears after her performance saying she wanted to skate for the victims. she later tweeted may the hearts of those who are mourning the loss of victims in the shooting today be lifted up. you are on my mind and on my heart. god bless you all. up next the latest from south korea as team usa wins another gold. stay with us. copd makes it hard to breathe.

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new power. we're back with a live picture there of pyeongchang, south korea, 14 hours ahead of the east coast. you see night is coming there now. it is about 41 degrees. it's warmed up a little bit, and as for the games itself, american mikaela shiffrin has picked up the second gold of her career. >> and the u.s. hockey rivalry with canada has been renewed. abc's alex stone is in pyeongchang for us. alex. >> reporter: kendis, diane, good morning. now that the wind has stopped blowing at least the real strong wind, now the olympics are in full force, the canceled events are going forward and team usa winning more gold.

mikaela shiffrin finally made her 2018 olympic debut after several delays due to dangerous winds. she got off to a blazing start capturing gold in the women's giant slalom after trailing by 0.2 seconds, she used a hard-charging final run to win her second career olympic gold medal. norway took the silver. italy the bronze. nourway has become the oldest in alpine skiing winning at the age of 35. in pairs figure skating chris and alexa knierim were not in medal contention after chris fell twice. the german team was flawless and catapulted them from fourth to take the gold. the pair from china suffered early mistakes knocking them off the top step and canadians took home the bronze. on the ice canada took on top team usa in the preliminary game. it was a much repped rematch of the 2014 gold medal game in sochi. the win gave canada top seed.

the u.s. and canada will play in separate semifinal matches with a great chance to face each other once again in the gold medal match. as for the men's hockey team after a disappointing loss in their first game, they'll get a second chance tomorrow when they play slovakia. kendis, diane. >> alex, a difference since 1994. this year we don't have the professionals playing for the men's hockey team. back to mikaela shiffrin, if you think she's happy, you need to see her dad. >> yes, so here's jeff shiffrin celebrating his daughter's victory. he and his wife have been helping her train since she was just a toddler. >> so this is the first gold medal in the winter games so far outside of the snowboarding category. this also, by the way, was not mikaela's best event. her best event is just the regular slalom. this was the giant slalom so she still has that one. >> just getting warmed up. >> that's what i'm saying. let's take a look at the total medal count.

norway leads in total medal, team usa is holding fifth place overall. germany has the most gold medals so far with eight of those. >> wow, i'll tell you, the u.s. has never finished worst or at least in the last couple of decades worse than second place in the medal count so we're not trying to make that happen here in pyeongchang. >> we're the tortoise. we're the tortoise not the hare. slow and steady. >> slow and steady. >> more news after this. #stuffynose #nosleep i got it... #mouthbreather yep, we've got a mouth breather. well just put on a breathe right strip and... pow! it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone so you can breathe... ...and sleep. go to breatheright.com today to request a free sample. there'that only uses 100% american oranges.and simply orange and tropicana ship in juice from overseas. >> slow and steady. grows all of our oranges in florida.

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it's 4:27 on this thursday, february 15th. thanks for making time for us. you're never more than seven minutes away from your we ha-- things are starting to calm down a little bit. you can see the winds gusting to 19. 27 on tamalpais. 15 through the altamont pass. the east bay hills, only about 8. same thing towards mt. hamilton. temperatures cold again. look at the 30s in the inland valleys from 37 in livermore and novato. napa at 39. you saw napa just change to 43. our warm spot, san francisco 47. i'll be back in less than three minutes with a look at your accuweather planner. we've got roadwork going on in the east bay. highway 13 near the broadway terrace, all lanes blocked until 5:00 this morning. so you see some red in the area. avoid that if you can. there are detours around it.

here's a live shot. southbound traffic looking good. no problems as you make your way through san rafael into san francisco and it's an easy breezy ride across the san mateo bridge right now. >> thank you, frances. we're monitoring the situation in south florida. 17 people are dead after the shooting at a high school yesterday. 15 people are hurt, among those at least five in life-threatening conditions. >> we are learning the gunman apparently legally bought the ar-15 rifle he used in shooting. we're going to have a live report from florida in a few moments. we're also tracking this local story. the couple accused of killing a 19-year-old leaving her to die on tesla road will be back in court today. >> after an emotional outburst from her grieving family yesterday. amy hollyfield live in dublin for us. amy? >> reporter: hi reggie. a woman stood up in court and yelled at the female suspect, you'll get what you deserve. she also said expletives. we want to show you pictures of

the suspects. you can see who we're talking about. here's a look at 19-year-old daniel gross and 25-year-old melissa leonardo. prosecutors say the two are engaged and that they knew their victim. they believe gross is the one they believe gross is the one who stabbed the victim. monday morning on livermore. investigators -- her family says they are devastated by her father has a message for everyone who has reached out to them. >> total strangers. we have -- the love and support and other people helping us with and other people helping us with our go fund me

>>. [ inaudible ] prepare for stuff like this. >> reporter: ray cues at that says his daughter was tough and strong and showed that to the end. a blood trail shows she crawled 100 yards in an effort to get help. she was stabbed more than 20 times. the suspects are in jail. no bail has been set and they are set to appear in court again this morning. reporting live in dublin, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. amy, thank you. a go fund me account has been set up to help her family. in about 24 hours, it's raised almost $13,000 of the $30,000 goal. if you would like to help, you can find a link on our website, abc 7 news,.com. it is now 4:30. if you're just waking up to us,