Frozen in Time: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

On February 14, 2018, a 19-year-old named Nikolas Cruz opens fire on students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, murdering 17 people and injuring 17 more. It is still the deadliest high school shooting in United States history, surpassing even the Columbine shooting, in 1999, which ended with 15 people dead. Nikolas Cruz arrives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School via an Uber, constructs his firearm, and then begins his assault on his former classmates. 

In this episode of Body Bags, forensics expert Joseph Scott Morgan and Jackie Howard discuss the details of the shooting, the weapon used in the attack, how the crime scene remains untouched after all these years, the reasons behind preserving the high school in this way, and the significance of the date of the shooting. 

Show Notes:

0:00 - Intro

0:45 - Joseph Scott and Jackie discuss the details of the shooting itself

7:45 - Did Cruz pull the fire alarm or could it have been triggered by smoke from the gun? 

9:23 - Explanation of the layout of the building, crime scene, and how investigators would go about analyzing it 

12:23 - The evolution of crime scene investigations

14:56 - The duration of the shooting and how hurricane proof glass ended up saving lives

19:01 - Nikolas Cruz’s background and how he blended in with students to escape the scene 

20:29 - Cruz’s arrest and recovery of the weapon 

21:30 - Joe talks about the weapon used in the attack

22:51 - The fear that teachers and students experienced seeing and hearing the gunshots

24:44 - Joe explains the Big Black Gun Theory 

27:18 -  Joe and Jackie discuss the crime scene remaining untouched since the shooting

28:50 - As evidence is collected, it’s sealed - how do you seal an entire building?

31:05 - Why would you want to leave a crime scene untouched for this long?

33:14 - Joe talks about the importance of chain of custody in forensics

35:34 - The reasons for preserving the high school in its condition 

39:22 - Joe talks about the significance of this occurring on Valentine’s Day 

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