making news in america this morning, breaking details overnight in the florida school shooting rampage. >> oh, my god. >> a former student kicked out of school accused of opening fire with a gasades killing 17 . this morning, the stories of the hero teacher and football coach risking their lives toeir janitor who helped them escape. >> we were running through the shooter but thank god for the janitor who stopped us and said, no, don't go that way. i think as a result a few hundred lives wereved. >> new pictures of the suspect's troubled past. >> he said he wanted to go to the military to shoot people. >> and what was found in his backpack. plus, the emoreunions between children and their

parents. >> this morning with 18 school shootings already reported this year alone, the search for answers. where do we go from here? what can be done to protect our schools? >> special coverage right now on "america this morning." and aall. we begin with they questions surrounding the deadly attack on stoneman douglas high school in parkland, florida. >> 17 critically injured. this image overnight a line of police 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 hands in their air. many had barricaded themselves inside classrooms huddled under desks until police led them out. we have team coverage. >> kenneth moton is in washington with lawmakers' reaction but first maggie rulli at the shooting scene.

ma 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 learnis 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 ace former high school. this video shows the terror inside the school. the audio too disturbing to broadcast. >> i took my headphones off, the alarm was going off and i heard the shots and then i saw the shooter run and i saw him get shot. >> reporter: students hiding under desks fearing for their lives. >> we were just likeraying 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. he may have a gas mask on. >> reporter: parents desperate to contact their children. students still looking for their friends. in the chaos the 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. school says he was expelled for disciplinary reasons and faculty had been warned to not let him on campus. >> school 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. live in parkland, florida. thank you. 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 intohe 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 say it's no surprise he's been named the gunman describing him as a troubled you man. the 19-year-old was known to show off knives and guns on his social media account. >> a lot of peoeoing to be him actually -- all the kids said 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. >> 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 and apologized for what he said a i told security. >> reporter: the teen was expelled last year after school fragments in his bag. bullet

>>asad a lot of conflicts in schoolnd g a fight with this one and then from what wasn't allowed to bring his backpack because they found casings in it. >> reporter: jim guard had him as a student. >> i remember nik in class. he was quiet. academics, you can't do that. he was a quiet kid in class. we got along. >> reporter: relatives say he 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 last year and he was -- i had a lot of suspicions about him. me and my friend always said that something might happen and dot want to be one of hissing its because he said that he wanted to go to the military to shoot people. like i remember that so clearly.

>> reporter: abc news learned he used an ar-15 assault rifle. florida senator bill nelson saying the suspect puletd stude 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 triedo escape by blending in with students fleeing the school. >> white male, burgundy shirt wearing a black hat and either long black pants or shorts mixed in with a group of students tha >> reporter: he was later taken into custody without a fight. and authorities say the suspected gunman posted disturbing material on social media before the rampage. as for the weapon used a family attorney is quoted as saying the

ar-15 was bought legally. that style of rifle was also used orlando and newtown, connecticut, massacres. one of the victims to be identified is now being called a hero. aaron feiss was a coach and jumped in front of student to protect them. another man also helped save lives. students say a janitor at the school directed them to turnnd running toward the shooter. >> 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 the classroom we were all closest to, the culinary classroom she pulled us in and packed us in like sardines. as a result of chef kur'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 team arrived and we'llea more students coming up later this half hour. 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 par embracing after that tragedy in florida and take a c se

the domestic violence scandal plaguing the white house triggered a congressional investigation. trey gowdy 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. 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" tells the author chris whipple about his rocky tenure 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 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 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 them. l.l. bean is facing a lawsuit after rescinding its 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. the gun control debate is reignited after the school live in washington with new reaction. your body was made for better things than rheumatiod arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist

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some of the images there from the horrible valentine's day there in south florida as we learn some new information about the suspect in the florida w r 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 then walked out as if he were one of the escaping students and steve gomez says this raises security concerns for schools everywhere. >> 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 f vendetta he had with thing its 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 pain office to be checked in and not to let any visitor go to the actual classrooms. >> gomez says it's also important tore students t b in 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. rayee heartbreaking that these incidents take place in place where our chirp should owork. or's a law oboth, of cou th shooti accorever this ranks among the top five 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 tips to do absolutely nothing. >> reporter: senator chris murphy of connecticut whereo many children were shot and killed in newtown of t senate responsible for a m has parallel. >> reporter: the white house has offered federal assistance to florida ts tod s word on if or when he'll address this shoing . diane and >> that's kenneth moton for us, thank you. as you expect many of the tweeted m the hearts of tse mourning the loss of victims in the shooting today be l you atest another gold. stay with us. be ea ws

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we're back with a live picture there of pyngchan coast.eeight is now. it about 41 degrees. it's warmedtle bit and as for the games itself, american mikaela shiffrin has picked up the second gold of her career sxh and the u.s. hockey rivalry with canada has been d. abc's alex stone is in pyongyang baghdad 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, cancele nd team 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 hargineer olympic gold lingy0.2 medal. norway took the silver, italy the bronze. norway's findahl has become the oldest in alpine skiing winning at the age of 35. in pairs figure skating. chris and in medal contention after chris fell twice. the german team waslawless and catapulted them from fourth to take the gold. the pair from china sufes knock the usa and won 2-1.dlay totersv

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fortified.tored. replenished. emerge everyday with emergen-c packed with b vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. why not feel this good everyday? emerge and see. >> good morning, i'm matt o'donnell, 4:27 a.m., thursday, morning, we're following the latest on the deadly school shooting in florida. authorities overnight raided the home of t accused of killing 17 people outside a school in miami. the conversation is turning to how to prevent the massacres. we're live in washington about what lawmakers are saying about another mass shooting. storm tracker 6 live is showing leftover rain from the overnight. david murphy has more on a wild

swing in temperatures and a look at the roads all next on "action news." spring-like temperatures for the northeast. finally on a day filled with so much terrible news from florida we wanted to end with a positive story about two children in california who now share a special bond. >> it's quite heartwarming. they were at a valentine's day's party when one of them was choking on a gummy bear. >> reporter: a classroom party emergency strengthened mikaela's faith in her friends. >> my desk partner made me laugh too hard when i ate a gummy bear and then i -- i kind of tried to swallow it and then i started choking. >> reporter: 8-year-old andrew ramirez didn't hesitate when he saw his 7-year-oldurning pink. >> i saw mikaela choking, grabbing her neck and i quickly

gave her the heimlich maneuver. >> and then i spit it out in the trash can. >> reporter: wow. were you scared? >> a little bit. >> reporter: when andrew's father picked him up from school he wasn't sure what to think. >> my daug andrew is a hero and st like, you know, little kids ndf exaggerating >> i told my dad and he didn't believe me so he texted your mom. >> yeah. >> reporter: it was all true. ramirez is an emergency room physician at crmc. he was stunned to hear his son knew what to do. >> i was like heimlich maneuver, that's a big word. do you even know what the heimlich maneuver is. he's like, yeah. you taught me. >> well, when i was choking, i was holding my neck like this and i saw him and i was pointing at my neck and so then he came ov went like -- >> reporter: young andrew responded like modern-day

>> i s turned blue she would intesto gtoo sant that hel >> the -oung >> this morning authorities are trying to figure out the motive hind this horrific school shooting in florida. 4:30 a.m., thursday, february 15. police aa 19-year-old former fid county high school killing 17

lives.heirding terrified after the shooting. fbi searc