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Jurors see gruesome video of Florida school shooting

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Jurors see gruesome video of Florida school shooting


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jurors within the penalty trial of Florida college shooter Nikolas Cruz considered graphic video Tuesday of him murdering 17 folks as he stalked via a three-story classroom constructing at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive College 4 years in the past.

The video, compiled from 13 safety cameras contained in the constructing, was not proven to the gallery, the place dad and mom of lots of the victims sat. Prosecutors say it reveals Cruz taking pictures a lot of his victims at point-blank vary, going again to some as they lay wounded on the ground to kill them with a second volley of pictures.

The 12 jurors and 10 alternates stared intently at their video screens. Many held palms to their faces as they considered the 15-minute recording, which has no sound.

Some began squirming. One juror regarded on the display, regarded up at Cruz along with his eyes vast after which returned to the video.

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Cruz regarded down whereas the video performed and didn’t seem to look at it. He generally regarded as much as change whispers with one among his attorneys.

The video was performed over the objection of Cruz’s attorneys, who argued that any evidentiary worth it has is outweighed by the feelings it will increase within the jurors. They argued that witness statements of what occurred can be enough.

Circuit Choose Elizabeth Scherer dismissed the objection, saying a video that precisely displays Cruz’s crimes doesn’t unfairly prejudice his case. Prosecutors are utilizing the video to show a number of aggravating components, together with that Cruz acted in a chilly, calculated and merciless method.

Cruz, 23, pleaded responsible in October to 17 counts of first-degree homicide, and 17 extra counts of tried homicide for these he wounded. The jury should determine if he needs to be sentenced to loss of life or life with out parole for the nation’s deadliest mass taking pictures to go earlier than a jury.

Later throughout day two of the trial, jurors heard testimony from Christopher McKenna, who was a freshman throughout the Feb. 14, 2018, taking pictures. He had left his English class to go to the toilet and exchanged greetings with two college students, Luke Hoyer and Martin Duque, as they crossed paths within the first-floor hallway. McKenna then entered a stairwell and encountered Cruz assembling his AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.

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“He stated get out of right here. Issues are about to get dangerous,” McKenna recalled.

McKenna sprinted out to the parking zone as Cruz went into the hallway and started taking pictures. McKenna alerted Aaron Feis, an assistant soccer coach who doubled as a safety guard. Feis drove McKenna in his golf cart to an adjoining constructing for security, after which went to the three-story constructing McKenna fled from.

By then, the sounds of gunfire have been already ringing out throughout the campus. Feis went in and was fatally shot instantly by Cruz, who had already killed Hoyer, 15, and Duque, 14, and eight others. Cruz then continued via the second ground, the place he fired into lecture rooms however hit nobody. When he reached the third-floor, he killed six extra.

The jurors additionally heard testimony from two college students who have been wounded as they sat of their English class when Cruz fired via a window within the door.

William Olson was writing an essay when “swiftly I hear a bunch of noise within the hallway. I didn’t know what it was.”

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Olson stated he regarded over and noticed one other freshman draped over a desk, blood pouring out of him as he died.

At that time, Olson stated he and different college students scrambled subsequent to the trainer’s desk.

“Whereas I’m laying in entrance of the desk I understand there’s blood throughout me,” he stated. He had suffered arm and leg wounds.

Alexander Dworet stated he initially thought the loud bangs have been the varsity’s marching band, however then he felt a “scorching sensation” on the again of his head the place he had been grazed by a bullet and “I noticed I used to be in peril.”

Dworet’s 17-year-old brother, Nick, was throughout the corridor in his Holocaust research class. Cruz fired into that classroom, too, killing him.

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Related Press author Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.



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Florida

SpaceX launches 21 Starlink internet satellites from Florida, lands rocket at sea (photos)

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SpaceX launches 21 Starlink internet satellites from Florida, lands rocket at sea (photos)


SpaceX launched 21 Starlink internet satellites from Florida’s Space Coast early Monday morning (Dec. 23) and landed the returning rocket on a ship at sea.

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Starlink spacecraft — 13 of which can beam service directly to cellphones — lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida today at 12:35 a.m. EDT (0535 GMT).

The Falcon 9’s first stage came back to Earth as planned, touching down in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after launch on the SpaceX droneship “Just Read the Instructions.”

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The first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on the deck of a droneship after launching 21 Starlink internet satellites to orbit from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Dec. 23, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

It was the 15th liftoff and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. Eight of those flights have been Starlink missions.

The Falcon 9’s upper stage continued hauling the 21 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit, where they will be deployed about 65 minutes after launch.

Starlink satellite train: how to see and track it in the night sky

Monday morning’s Starlink launch was the 129th Falcon 9 mission of 2024. About two-thirds of those flights have been devoted to building out the Starlink broadband megaconstellation, which current consists of more than 6,800 active satellites.



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3 most underrated signees in Florida State football's 2025 class

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3 most underrated signees in Florida State football's 2025 class


Florida State football had an embarrassing 2024 campaign where it finished with a 2-10 record. This is not the expectation of what the Seminoles are all about.

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Head football coach Mike Norvell understood the urgency as he could not allow the program to snowball into a laughing stock after a productive 13-1 season in 2023. Norvell was heading into a pivotal sixth season with his job on the line.

As a result, he went out and hired a ton of new coaches on his staff, including Gus Malzahn, Tim Harris Jr., Herb Hand, Tony White, Terrance Knighton, and Evan Cooper. This was uncharted territory for Norvell since he had never had to fire multiple coaches like that.

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Nonetheless, we were wondering how the Seminoles’ 2025 recruiting class would play out with new coaches as well as the struggling year in 2024.

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The recruiting class did well, and it finished with the 20th-best in the 247Sports Composite rankings (prospects can still sign in February). In this article, I want to highlight three of the most underrated signees from Florida State’s 2025 recruiting class.



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U.S. Amateur runner-up Noah Kent is transferring to Florida

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U.S. Amateur runner-up Noah Kent is transferring to Florida


Noah Kent is heading home.

The 2024 U.S. Amateur runner-up is transferring to Florida, he announced Saturday. The sophomore at Iowa, whose hometown is Naples, Florida, entered the transfer portal earlier this month, and he made his decision to join coach J.C. Deacon and the 2023 national champions come next fall.

Because of NCAA rules, Kent won’t be eligible to compete for Florida until the 2025-26 season, but he can finish his sophomore year with the Hawkeyes. This fall, he placed in the top 13 all four tournaments, his best finish being a T-5 at the Fighting Irish Classic.

And, of course, he has a tee time at Augusta National Golf Club in the spring.

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Kent will essentially be the fourth member of Florida’s 2025 signing class, which ranked second in the country on signing day. He’ll join a talented roster that includes Parker Bell, Mathew Kress and Jack Turner, though with new NCAA roster limits coming, there’s bound to be some unprecedented roster turnover in college golf before the start of the 2025-26 season.



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