Responding officers testify in sentencing trial of Parkland shooter
MIAMI - The sentencing trial for Parkland school shooter, Nikolas Cruz continued Friday, as the state started out by calling up the responding officers.
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The first witness they called to the stand was Captain Nicholas Mazzei with the City of Coral Springs PD. He told jurors he observed a body lying on the ground outside the west doors as he approached the building. That body was coach Aaron Feis, one of the 17 shooting victims.
The 46th witness to follow Captain Mazzei was Sgt. Richard Vandereems with the Broward County Sherriff's Office. Vandereems approached the east side of the building. When he walked in he said in his testimony, "I observed a child dead on the ground. There was smoke and dust in the air."
The first week of the Parkland shooter's sentencing trial has wrapped.
The shooter, who pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder, is facing either life in prison or the death penalty for the 2018 massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
On Friday, the jury heard from police, who went in the building after the shooting and saw disturbing scenes on the first and third floors.
The first witness they called to the stand was Captain Nicholas Mazzei with the City of Coral Springs PD. He told jurors he observed a body lying on the ground outside the west doors as he approached the building. That body was coach Aaron Feis, one of the 17 shooting victims.
The 46th witness to follow Captain Mazzei was Sgt. Richard Vandereems with the Broward County Sherriff's Office. Vandereems approached the east side of the building. When he walked in, he said in his testimony, "I observed a child dead on the ground. There was smoke and dust in the air."
The last witness for the jury to hear before they took a 15-minute recess before noon was Det. David Alfin with the Coral Springs Police Department. He was shown evidence photos captured from his body-worn camera that depicted the shooter's tactical vest and rifle lying on the ground.
The photos also showed victim and student Jaime Guttenberg unresponsive. Alfin said he check for vitals but she was already dead.
Alfin was asked to describe what he saw in the evidence photo of him and Guttenberg. He said, "It shows me checking for vital signs and the other officers covering the doors. We held there awhile. Then I heard a voice from the hallway."
That voice was Anthony Borges, who was shot five times. Borges nearly died and on Wednesday showed his scars to the jury.
The jury also heard from the medical examiner who performed autopsies on several students, including 14-year-old Martin Duque.
Duque was shot eight times.
Prosecutor Mike Satz asked, "In your opinion, how long did Martin Duque live before he died?"
"A couple minutes," the medical examiner said.