as a young white male about it teen years of age in fact i'll just read what the sheriff scott israel of broward county who give a press conference around thirty minutes ago said he was not a current student he was previously a student but i don't know the circumstances i was in there but i was told there was no confrontation and he was taken into arrest without incident what you're seeing here there was a high school freshman at the school tweeting of their as the instant was on the folding he tweeted that he was locked inside and that he was scared and from the pictures we can see he was probably hiding under a desk in the classroom as authorities had been tweeting art for everybody to do he told everybody as well to pray for the victims families well let's take a look now at the history if we count of u.s. school shootings there have been two hundred seventy five incidents since twenty thirteen with an average of almost one week there of really being too shooting instance in schools in the first week of this year here's a look at some of the most serious cases. well let's discuss all this one is hel

in fact, that was a point that was stressed by sheriff scott israel of broward county as he broke the news this afternoon. you could hear the emotion, you could see it in his face, and he was just devastated that this officer, which had sworn to protect, was standing outside. and as far as their investigation has revealed, for about four minutes. and remember, this entire attack took six minutes. just to think of what he might have been able to prevent. as you know, in the aftermath of columbine high school, it is supposed to be the practice of all law enforcement to engage the gunman in any way. don't wait for backup, don't expect swat. make sure you try to disrupt the shooter any way, anyhow, even if but for a few seconds to allow victims to get away. don? >> it's just unfathomable, martin. do we know if sheriff scott israel knew about this last night before the town hall, cnn's town hall? >> reporter: we don't know for certain, but i would say he had a pretty good idea about all of this. because i have to tell you, concern about where was this officer had been circulating almost fr

the sheriff, scott israel of broward county, a populist county here in south florida, this is the six largest school district in the county. this is the worst school shooting ever in this county. the sheriff would not confirm of the 17 fatalities how many were students, whether ages were or if there were any teachers also in the mix as well. 15 others were taken and treated at area hospitals inside the school the sheriff laid it out like this, 12 people shot and killed inside the school. two outside of the school, a third shot and killed down the road from the school. and two others died while being treated for their incredibly serious wounds at area hospitals. of the 19-year-old suspect according to the sheriff, no motive to share at this point, but he was equipped with magazine full of bullets, and ar-15 semi assault right. weapon and was wearing a gas mask, had smoke grenades on him and pulled the fire alarm first so that he could shoot students and teachers as they fled into the hallways. >> tucker: phil, thank you for that. rebecca bogard is a senior at marjory stoneman douglas h

this day, absolutely catastrophic in the words of the broward county sheriff scott israel who perhaps within 15 minutes is expected to come out here and update the media on this horrific day in broward county, especially for the families of what have been confirmed by multiple people of multiple fatalities. we don't know the total number at this point. in the distance, you can see we are about a quarter of a mile from the high school. marjory stoneman douglas high school. four grades, 3,000 students, described as your everyday american high school by students i've spoken with. you have the bomb squad down there. fbi mobile command center. hundreds of law enforcement vehicles are here and no traffic can get closer to the high school. nearby hotels and elementary schools. that's where some of the evacuated students have been taken to rendezvous with their parents in a very panic-filled three or four hours this afternoon. all of this happening around 4:00 -- 2:30 eastern time right as the school day was just about to end. helicopter aerials provided by wsvn showing students running for t

broward county sheriff's deputies who had not yet entered the school. broward county sheriff scott israel denied those reports today on cnn's state of the union. >> i'm also told by sources in coral springs that coral springs police who arrived at the scene saw that three other broward deputies were standing behind cars, not having gone into the building. what can you tell me about that? >> well, let me be perfectly clear. our investigation to this point shows that during this horrific attack while this killer was inside the school, there was only one law enforcement person, period, and that was our former deputy scott peterson. coral springs arrived, a group of coral springs officers went in within i think about four minutes, we're projecting, after the killer left the campus. i understand that they're going to give statements to us regarding the other three, four, five deputies. at this point we have no reason to believe that anyone acted incorrectly or correctly. that's what an investigation is is. everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but nobody is entitled to their own set of facts. we do know, jake, that deputy peterson at the time uttered --

sheriff says he's not quitting. not resigning, even though a long list of state lawmakers say he's got to go. i'm talking about sheriff scott israel from broward countycounty where 17 high school students and teachers were shot dead on valentine's day. state officials want the governor of florida to remove the sheriff, saying his department knew the 19-year-old gunman was a danger to the community, knew the gunman had weapons, knew he was planning to shoot up the school, and on the day of the massacre, broward county sheriff's deputies waited outside the school while those kids and teachers died inside. sheriff israel was on cnn earlier today and he told jake tapper that none of that is his fault. >> you don't measure a person's leadership by a deputy not going into a -- these deputies received the training they needed. of course i won't resign. it was a shameful letter. it was politically motivated. i never met that man. he doesn't know anything about me. and the letter was full of misinformation. i wrote a letter back to the governor. i talked about all the mistakes that hager made in his letter. it was a shameful, politically motivated letter that

the return of students comes as 74 republican members of the in order house call on governor rick scott to suspend broward county sheriff scott israelpartment of law enforcement is reviewing the initial response to the shooti shooting. there are claims now that three deputies did not enter the building when they should have as the shooting was taking place. >>> stay with us of one. still ahead on "eyewitness news" tonight. competitive gymnastics takes to the mat for the pink invitational in philadelphia but the meet is all about more than just their skills. >> it's the way these girls get empowered to give back. >> how the competitors are making a difference for those battling cancer. >>> plus, olympic athletes from the united states are speaking out about the doping allegations that rocked the winter games. how they say it impacted moral. >>> and coming up later, michelle obama is looking back non out her life and sharing her journey with the world. when her memoir is expected to hit store shelves. if our world isn't stuck in the past, why is higher education? we say if there's a better path, you should take it. and when there isn'

scott israel. he is the sheriff of broward county. he is a very outspoken voice. people in florida know about scott israel, but they will know a lot more about him and i suspect scott israel may be called upon for higher office in florida. but what he just said about how when the lord meets aaron feis in heaven, he will say well done, you saw the cartoon. i don't know if we have it because i didn't know he was going to say this, but there was a cartoon drawn the other day about aaron feis going to heaven and there being a crowd of children and people because he had defended these children, and a child taking him by the hand and saying coach feis, we've all been looking to meet you. is this a guy who snood fronttot of a gunman and took those bullets. well done. >> well done indeed. >>> time for our monumental american where we honor someone who may be deserving of more recognition. and today it is anthony borgeo suchlt. he is credited with saving lives of 20. >> he was shot five times while attempting to close and lock the door to a classroom where 20 other students

broward county. >> that was a powerful moment at tonight's vigil. that was scott israel, the sheriff of broward county florida demanding common sense gun laws and threatening elected officials that they would cease to be elected officials if they didn't go along. here's another powerful moment. this happened on cnn, this is a mom who left her 14-year-old daughter. >> how do we allow a gunman to come to our children's school? how do they get through security? what security is there? a gunman, crazy person just walks into the school, walks down the window of my child's door and starts shooting, shooting her and killing her! president trump, you say what can you do? you can stop the guns from getting into these children's hands! we are bringing on our next guest for a reason. david jolly, former republican congressman from the state of florida. congressman, i wanted to talk to you because i have heard you recommend a way for democrats especially to proceed on the issue of guns and gun legislation. >> listen, those two voices define this issue for the american people. and both political par

. >> even as the chorus of voices demanding that broward county sheriff scott israel either step downr the governor of the state of florida fire him, there seems to be only defiance coming from the sheriff himself. he has said that he definitely has no intention of resigning, and he also says that all of this is now being driven by politics. he points out the fact that of course the governor is republican, and most of the lawmakers so far that have come forward demanding that the governor remove israel are also republican lawmakers. the sheriff himself is a democrat. but here in the community where this tragedy played out, it is not about partisan politics. it's about something much more simpler and even easier to understand. it's about personal pain. it's about the loss that they have suffered. and it's about almost the day to day revelations that seem to imply that the broward county sheriff's office either failed to see serious warning signs coming from the alleged shooter nicolk coming from the alleged shooter nicololas cruz, that one of the deputies failed to intervene when the s

scott to convey our deepest sympathies to the people of florida and our determination to assist in any way that we can. i also spoke with florida attorney general, pam bondy, and broward county sheriff scott israel. i'm making plans to visit parkland to meet with families and local officials and to continue coordinating the federal response. in these moments of heartache and darkness, we hold on to god's word in scripture, i have heard your prayer and seen your tears, i will heal you. we trust in that promise and we hold fast to our fellow americans in their time of sorrow. i want to speak now directly to america's children, especially those who feel lost, alone, confused or even scared. i want you to know that you are never alone and you never will be. you have people who care about you, who love you, and who will do anything at all to protect you. if you need help, turn to a teacher, a family member, a local police officer, or a faith leader. answer hate with love. answer cruelty with kindness. we must also work together to create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life that creates deep and meaningful human connections and that turns classmates and colleagues into friends a

of injured and fatalities. the broward county superintendent robert runcie did say there are numerous fatalities on a horrible, horrible day. moments ago, the broward county sheriff scott israel said this is an absolutely "catastrophic day," nothing can be worse than this. this is a major expressway that wraps around the western side of the broward county metro area. behind me roughly half a mile is a high school proper. this is as far north as anybody can go here on pearl springs way. all around the school and all of these areas, and it is rush hour witches, on a daily basis, horrendous in miami-dade and broward county's. we were at a nearby elementary school as well as a hotel trying to rendezvous with their students. you saw the scenes of the kids running from the school as law enforcement released groups of 8, groups of 20. backpacks on, hands up, sprinting in terror with the aim of getting to safety, reminiscent of the columbine high school massacre in the '90s. one of the worst parts of these school shootings is for the parents responding, panicked, looking for their loved ones, their sons and daughters, trying to find them. those long minutes, sometimes hours of not be

in the wake of the latest school shooting in florida, pressure is building on broward county sheriff scott israel to be fired for neglect of duty and incompetence. 74 members of the florida house of representatives signed a letter calling on the sheriff to be suspended immediately. they claim his officers ignored repeated warnings about the alleged gunman and his deputies were untrained to deal with an active shooter situation when it happened. omar villafranca reports. >> reporter: it was a somber return for the survivors of the deadly mass shooting at stoneman douglas. students and teachers returned to campus coping with the reality of what happened here. today governor rick scott called on the florida department of law enforcement to investigate the initial response to the shooting. video from school cameras showed that the armed school resource officer, broward deputy scot peterson, stayed outside the building while the shooting was taking place. peterson has since resigned. new reports say other deputies didn't enter the school either. broward county sheriff scott israel addressed the accusa

of negligence led to the valentine's day shooting in parkland, florida. school officials failed, so did the fbi. but broward county sheriff scott israelnguished record of exceptional ineptitude and arrogance. under israel's leadership broward deputies ignored repeated warnings about nikolas cruz's violent behavior. the department received at least 23 calls about cruz or his family. and one call last november a tipster specifically warned that nic lazarus cruz was, quote a school shooter in the making which turned out to be sadly true. sheriff israe

another deputy, scott peterson, resigned following reports that he, too, had not gone inside the school to confront the shooter. the broward county sheriff scott israel said the actions of the deputies are under investigation. he said he would not resign despite the criticism the agency has been facing. >> are you really not taking any responsibility for the multiple red flags that were brought to the attention about the broward's sheriff office about this shooter before the incident snch. >> i've given amazing leadership to this agency. >> amazing leadership? >> yes, jake. >> republicans say lawmakers in florida are calling for the suspension of sheriff israel, a democrat accusing him of incompetence and neglect of duty. joining us now live from parkland, florida, nbc news correspondent tammy lightner. it's good to have you with us. marjorie doug the lan stoneman high school reopened yesterday to students and parents for the orientation, but it comes a day that was quite emotional because of the new information we are learning about what authorities could have done. what was the dynamic that played out yesterday on these two fronts? the students returned and the critic

the broward county sheriff defiant amid mounting criticism of his department's handling of the attacksheriff scott israel / broward county, florida: of course i won't resign.local authorities had received multiple warnings on the gunman before the massacre, including a call saying he was a school shooter in the making. voice of jake tapper / cnn anchor: do you think that if the broward sheriff's office had done things differently, this shooting might not have happened?sheriff scott israel / broward county, florida: listen, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, you know, oj simpson would still be in the record books.jake tapper / cnn anchor: i don't know what that means. there's 17 dead people and a whole long list of things your department could have done differently. and questions surrounding reports that up to four sheriff's deputies arrived at the building during the shooting but never entered. president donald trump: they weren't exactly medal of honor winners alright. the way they performed was frankly disgusting. you know i really believe you don't know until you're tested it but i really believe i'

now from one of the police officers co—ordinating all of this, the browa rd county co—ordinating all of this, the broward county sheriff, scott israelp—to—date. israel. he was bringing everyone up-to-date. i want to say this is a catastrophic, unbelievably catastrophic, unbelievably catastrophic day in broward county history. it is devastating. i am sick to my stomach. we have multiple casualties. we have had approximately 1a people transported to area hospitals with varying degrees of injuries. there are multiple casualties, people who have lost their lives. i do not know the number right now. it is a fluid scene with multiple swat teams clearing the buildings. a shooter was taken into custody about an hour ago. he committed a horrible homicidal detestable act. the fbi and our people will begin processing this horrific scene as soon as the buildings are cleared. i have spoken to president trump. he has offered the full power of the united states of america to help us get through this. that was scott israel there, the county sheriff, talking to reporters. going back to our reporters. going back to our reporter in florida, patricia.

scott of florida, held a news conference on today's shooting. near the end of the briefing, broward county sheriff scott israel said if a person is committed to an act of violence, law enforcement can only do so much. >> if a person is predisposed to commit such a horrific event, like going to a school and shoot people, if a person is going to drive a truck into a crowded area, if a person is committed to committing great carnage, there's not anybody or not a lot law enforcement can do about it, or any entity can do about it. the only things we can do are train very hard. we have to train rigorously, and we do. we have to be able to mitigate. we have to be able to respond quickly so we can lessen the loss of lives. >> for the very latest, we want to go to nbc news correspondent tammy leitner, reporting all day from parkland, florida. >> reporter: brian, it's been about eight hours since this shooting happened. and we are still seeing parents and students coming out here, talking, grieving, supporting each other. but mostly searching for answers. why today? 17 teachers and students are dead. >> oh my god! >> reporter: who are. in the classroom. t

the broward county sheriff defiant amid mounting criticism of his department's handling of the attacksheriff scott israel / broward county, florida: of course i won't resign.local authorities had received multiple warnings on the gunman before the massacre, including a call saying he was a school shooter in the making. voice of jake tapper / cnn anchor: do you think that if the broward sheriff's office had done things differently, this shooting might not have happened?sheriff scott israel / broward county, florida: listen, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, you know, oj simpson would still be in the record books.jake tapper / cnn anchor: i don't know what that means. there's 17 dead people and a whole long list of things your department could have done differently. and questions surrounding reports that up to four sheriff's deputies arrived at the building during the shooting but never entered. president donald trump: they weren't exactly medal of honor winners alright. the way they performed was frankly disgusting. you know i really believe you don't know until you're really believe i'd run in there e

of this as well. steve, go back to the beach and enjoy the miami sunshine. we appreciate your taking the time with us. >> thanks, leyland. >> have a margarita for us. >>> broward county sheriff scott israel pushing back against calls for his resignation despite deep criticism of his department's handling of the florida school shooting. we're in parkland with the latest. matt. reporter: epny, the broward county sheriff appeared on one of the morning talk shows a few minutes ago and he was asked if he was going to take responsibility for the multiple red flags and calls into his office about the school shooter nikolas cruz and he said he could only take responsibility for what he knew. he went on to say it was beyond his control that his own deputy, the school resource officer at the school here did not go inside the school the day of the shooting and called him a quote deserter. now all of this led to fiery debate and intense finger pointing which continues to escalate. right now republicans say representative bill hager is demanding that the governor remove the sheriff from his post. he sent out a tweet saying the call for broward county sheriff scott israel to be removed due to his gros

of the 17 killed took place. services for 14-year-old alessia cara petty and 15-year-old luke hoyer were held today. broward county sheriff scott israel visited one of the four injured still in the hospital, 15-year-old anthony borges, who was shot five times. outside the school, where bullet holes remain visible, there were emotional reunions. geography teacher ernie rospers rosperski tried to shield students from the gunfire. so this right here, that's where the bullet grazed you? >> that's where one of them grazed me. another one, i caught a fragment. it hit me in my hip. >> reporter: what will it be like to go back to school? >> a lot of crying, a lot of talking. i've been trying the figure out what i'll say to the kids first day in. >> reporter: staff may be allowed to return to school by the end of the week, but officials have not announced when classes will resume. jeff? >> glor: manny, thank you very much. stoneman douglas students were organizing marches on the florida state capitol and on washington. adriana diaz talked to four of them. adriana? >> jeff, the students this evening are planning and plotting. more than 100 teen

sheriff didn't tell families sooner. jake tapper, host, cnn's "state of the union"" the families were at the cnn town hall. they were at the cnn town hall and you could have disclosed."sheriff scott israel, broward countyl:"i couldn't disclose it then because there was no corroboration, jake. there was no confirmation."peterson attorney says any talk of his client not meeting the standards of police officers are patently untrue.(nats)fred guttenberg whose daughter jaime was murdered in the attack says peterson's statements and fury over israel's leadership as sheriff changes nothing.fred guttenberg, father of jaime guttenberg:"i don't have any sympathy for anybody right now that unfortunately didn't do what they needed to do to save my kid." (grant)peterson resigned from his job after sheriff scott israel suspended him.the broward county sheriff's office says it cannot discuss peterson's actions further because they are part of an internal investigation.the law enforcement response to the shooting is also under review by florida state officials. (grant) and today, as president trump was speaking with governors from across the country today...he discussed how he would have reacted in that harrowing situ

broward county sheriff's deputies who had not yet entered the school. broward county sheriff scott israel denied those reports today on cnn's "state of the union," but pressure is mounting on the florida governor to take action. in just the last hour, cnn has learned that 74 republican members of the florida house have asked governor rick sco scott to suspend sheriff israel. sheriff israel is fighting back, defending his leadership and the department. >> you've listed 23 incidents before the shooting involving the shooter and still nothing was done to keep guns out of his hands, to make sure the school was protected, to make sure you were keeping an eye on him. your deputy at the school failed. i don't see how you can sit there and claim amazing leadership. >> jake, on 16 of those cases, our deputies did everything right. our deputies have done amazing things. we've taken this -- the five years i've been sheriff, we've taken the broward county's sheriffs to a new level. i'm working with the bravest people i've ever met. at this point one person didn't do what he should have done. it's horrific. the victims here, the families, i pray for them every night. it

of south florida. a deadly shooting at a high school. broward county sheriff scott israelalling this day a terrible day for parkland, broward county, in orde somethin' i've noticed over the course of my fishing career is anglers being careless and breaking off their rod tip. don't do that. fish like a pro at the bass pro shops spring fishing classic featuring free seminars. all the latest gear. huge savings. plus, added savings of up to $200 during our rod and reel trade-in sales. find out more at basspro.com/classic. your adventure starts here. you're welcome. >> in camden state and local authorities have busted up a weapons trafficking ring. seven people now face charges revolving around guns coming into new jersey from ohio. our jeff cole reports on the attorney general's announcement joins us live in studio. jeff. >> reporter: lucy, camden new jersey is seeing a major drop in crime as a county wide police force finds success linking cops witness community. today new jersey's attorney general argued the city will never find peace until the flow of illegal guns into camd

of the 17 killed took place. services for 14-year-old, elana petty and like hoyer were held today. broward county sheriff, scott israelal. 15-year-old anthony borgess shot five times. outside the school, where bullet holes remain visible, there were emotional reunions. geography teacher, ernie rospierski tried to shield students. >> this here the bullet is great you'd. >> one is greated me. the other one, caught a fragment hit me in the hip. >> what will it be like to, to go back to school? >> for me, a lot of crying. a lot of talking. i have been trying to figure out what i want to say to the kids the first day back when they come in. >> staff may be allowed to return to the school by end of th week. officials have not announced when classes will resume. >>> to day survivors swil head to florida state capital to demand better gun control from lawmakers. adrianna diaz spoke with four students about their fight for change. >> they say tougher gun laws do not decrease gun violence. we call, bs. >> never again, the rallying cry from student survivors, fueled by the loss of their peers. >> if all our government and presid

there are no adequate words to describe the shamelessness of broward county sheriff's scott israel. antically touring tv studio to save his skin while grieving families are slowly realizing the full extent of the sheriff's role in their loved one's death. and here's the worst part. even if he does eventually quit, it won't be because he thinks he did a terrible job. it will be because he did a terrible tv interview. where is the honor? where is the integrity and our public officials today? there is no accountability. whatever happens, whatever goes wrong in this case and so many others. they take no response ability. they blame someone else. the blame the system. find a scapegoat. they do everything they can to cling to their cushy positions and their fat pensions and their job security that working americans can only dream of. we're so sick and tired of it. of course sheriff israel should go. of course director christopher wray should go. that should be the start of it. a new culture of accountability for our government and public sector. that is the next evolution we need. please t

broward county sheriff deputies who had not yet entered the school. >>> the sheriff denies those. what about in the aftermath? joining me now to discuss all of this is broward county sheriff scott israel. thanks so much for joining us. i want you to take a listen to marjory stoneman douglas brandon huff talking about your deputy the school resource officer scot peterson. >> the school resource officer was behind a stairwell wall just standing there and he had his gun drawn and he was just pointing it at the building. and you could shots started going off inside. you can hear them going off over and over. he was just talking on the radio and he never did anything for four minutes. he's the only one with a gun. he's wearing a bulletproof vest and he has all that while school security guards, you know, coaches, pretty much were running in shielding kids. >> sheriff, how do you respond to this student? >> what the student said, our video and audio and all the witness statements we have taken corroborates that. that's what i saw and when i saw that, i was disgusted, i was just demoralized with the performance of former deputy peterson and that's why i called him in and suspended him withou

broward county sheriff's office. that is the focus of tonight's "angle." who is scott israel and what do we really know about him? he is a colorful, brash, outspoken broward county sheriff who has been speaking for law enforcement since the valentine's day massacre at stoneman douglas high school. just eight days after the shooting, before his department had even concluded its own investigation, sheriff israel found time to join a cnn town hall where he decided to join forces with the pro-gun-control lobby. >> 18-year-olds should never have a rifle. an 18-year-old kid should not have a rifle. 18-year-old kids, they're not adults yet. they're in high school. these kids should not have a rifle. automatic rifle should be outlawed, and anybody who says different, i don't know about other people, we are -- >> laura: he is such a blowhard. the sheriff had to know that the automatic weapons he referenced in that sound bite were banned by the feds years ago and that the nra it does not advocate for legalizing them, sheriff. it got to know that or you should be in that job at all. but it sounded good in front of that crowd

of his office to this same cause. speaker richard corcoran writing, today i sent the following letter to florida governor scott asking that he suspend broward county sheriff scott israel for incompetence and dereliction of duty. i was honored to be joined by 73 republican colleagues. cnn's martin savidge is in parkland, florida, right now. and martin, that is a long list of lawmakers right now calling for the sheriff of broward county to be removed from his position. now, do the people that you've talked to there feel the same way? >> reporter: well, they do. in fact, it was probably the people of parkland where this all really started to begin. even before it got up to tallahassee and the legislature occupy there. many of the families here have been deeply disturbed, as they have heard so many red flags that seem to have been overlooked by law enforcement. but the final straw seems to be this report that there was deputy peterson, the only armed deputy on campus who did not act as their children were being killed. i should talk about representative bill hager. he is speaking out about why he wants israel to step down. liste listen. >> clearly a series of failures at

cme group - how the world advances. ♪ neil: we awaiting return of broward county sheriff scott israelwe're told the timeline of developments yesterday and ticktock how it is, you know, nicolas cruz was able to do what he did and apparently with high element of surprise. keep in mind a law enforcement official was in the school at the time. apparently nowhere near when cruz arrived. was in effective in stopping him. we'll maybe get the idea how all of this happened. meantime let's go to steve harrigan in parkland with the very latest. steve. reporter: neil, we heard from the president earlier today. he addressed the nation but also spoke specifically to children saying he would do everything in his power to keep them safe while at school. he said he will visit parkland. he described the act as an act of evil. he said it is a mental health issue. he did not discuss gun control during his remarks. the sheriff here said the crime scene inside of the school is being processed as quickly as possible. there are still bodies inside the school. all the families have been notified. some of the

happening behind the scenes, new and shocking details about the activity of the broward county police under the leadership of sheriff scott israel. we shared with you a department email asking officers to defend the sheriff. it read "at the moment we find our agency up against a flurry of media allegations and a personal attack against our sheriff, sheriff israel stood with us. now we must stand with him. it's important they know we stand as one." this shouldn't be not about saving anyone's backside but about transparency. not protecting the sheriff or anyone else. sheriff israel has endorsed gun control and for that he won praise from student activists and this is happening as his department's actions before, during, and after the horrific school shooting are now being investigated by a separate state commission. when challenged, israel -- don't forget, unelected democratic sheriff -- bragged about his amazing leadership. but it may not have been so amazing. last night we report exclusively that sources close to the broward sheriff's office are telling us that deputies on the scene of the shooting were told not to enter the sch

of the shooting. we are expecting to hear from law enforcement officials. multiple people dead, that is according to the broward county sheriff, scott israel. i'm not sure if he's going to be part of this press conference in coral springs. but i would anticipate we'll get more details on the fatalities and the conditions on the 14 people transported to medical centers and hospitals in the area. 14 people transported with varying degrees of wounds. the state of the victims in best those medical centers as i mentioned earlier, it's catastrophic, there are really no word. we'll be monitoring for comments coming through from that press conference which is 4 miles south of parkland where the high school was. three floors as we have been talking about with 3,200 student, freshmen on the third floor, that's the one from all reports including a.p. and the "miami herald." that's the one where most of of the casualties and perhaps all of the fatalities were probably sustained. i'll watch for that and charles back to you. charles: i want to share with the audience earlier when the superintendent of broward county schools spoke with the press. let's tak

broward county sheriff. scott israel at the top of the hour, we're going to bring you this live when it happens.s office directing anybody who wants to help, i know a lot of you do, to go to the gofundme.com/stoneman douglas victims fund, raised nearly 400,000 bucks. >> amazing, very somber day. that does it for us. "risk & reward" starts right now. >> let's go! >> he shot through my door and the classroom got hurt, i saw blood everywhere. >> the shooter shot through the door, poked in, shot a couple people next to me. >> i heard at least four boom, boom, boom, boom. >> people were running and screaming and pushing. >> got the girl next to me. >> i'm absolutely sick to my stomach to see children who go to school with backpacks and pencils lose their lives. >> he's like the weird kid at school that you see. i saw what guns he had, he showed me personally. >> this com

of florida republicans calling for the resignation or suspension or flatout firing of broward county sheriff scott israel. thank you so much for being with us right now. you're one of 73 lawmakers who called on the governor to basically fire the sheriff right there. the sheriff had a chance to respond here on cnn. let's listen. >> deputies make mistakes, police officers make mistakes, we all make mistakes. but it is not the responsibility of the general or the president, if you have a deserter. you look into this. we look into this aggressively and we'll take care of it and justice will be served. i can only take responsibility for what i knew about. i exercised my due diligence. i've given amazing leadership to this agency. >> convinced, mr. speaker? >> no. it is really disappointing. basically what happened to great leaders where the buck stops here, i think that it is not an incident of one person, not an incident of two people, it is just a systemic failing. the constitution says that if you have neglect of duty, malfeasan malfeasance, misfeasance or incompetent, we have the right to ask the governor

of that department. broward county sheriff, scott israel. 74 republicans are asking rick scott, governor of florida, to suspend him, saying that his department knew the 19-year-old gunman was dangerous, was armed. and had explicitly stated his plans to commit a massacre. on the day of the massacre, broward county sheriff deputies waited outside the school. at least some of them did. while the kids and teachers took their final breaths. one of them, scott peterson, school resource officer, deputy, now stepped down. sheriff israel was on cnn earlier today where he told my colleague jake tapper that none of that is his fault. >> you don't measure a person's leadership by a deputy not going into -- these deputies received the training they needed. of course i won't resign. it was a shameful letter, politically motivated. i never met that man. he doesn't know anything about me. and the letter was full of misinformation. i wrote a letter back to the governor. i talked about all the mistakes that haguer made in his letter. it was a shameful politically motivated letter that had no facts, and of course i won't resign.

of the columbine school shooting. >>> broward county sheriff scott israel spent time over the weekend comforting 15-year- old anthony, repairing gunshot wounds. the sheriff asked people to prey for anthony's recovery. with all others injured in the attack. a gofundme account has to help pay for recovery costs for that young man at $71,000. >>> our time is now 4:09, a relaxing vacation turned into a week long brawl. wait until you see this. we'll explain how a flip flop started all of this. >>> bid for president, former vice president joe biden could be considering a 2020 presidential run. >>> and we are keeping an eye on your traffic this morning, taking a look at the 80 east shore freeway, hopefully we will have a bit of a holiday light commute this morning. >>> nothing light about the temps, it's cold. it will be a cool one today, a lot of 50s. >>> welcome back u 4:12. people are calling on congress to pass new gun control legislation after the florida school shooting and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are responding. south carolina republican congressman trey gowdy says look at the bigger picture. >> i appl