Crime: Florida school shooter's AR-15 rifle shown to his jurors

Police: Indiana mall gunman fired 24 times in 15 seconds

GREENWOOD, Ind. (AP) — A 20-year-old man who shot five people in a suburban Indianapolis shopping mall, killing three of them, fired 24 times within 15 seconds before he was shot and killed by an armed bystander, authorities said Tuesday. Preliminary autopsy results show gunman Jonathan Sapirman of Greenwood was shot eight times, the Johnson County Coroner’s Office said Tuesday. None of the gunshot wounds was self-inflicted, the coroner’s office said.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jurors in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz got their first view Monday of the AR-15-style rifle he used to murder 17 students and staff members four years ago at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, staring intently as it was carried to the front of the courtroom.

© Provided by Associated Press School Shooting Florida © Provided by Associated Press Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz is led into the courtroom during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Lead prosecutor Mike Satz removed the black semi-automatic Smith & Wesson from a cardboard box and carried it to Broward sheriff's Sgt. Gloria Crespo, who said it was found on the landing of a third-floor stairwell. Video seen by jurors previously showed Cruz placed it there along with the black shooter's vest he had been wearing before fleeing the school.

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© Provided by Associated Press School Shooting Florida

The defense objected to the weapon's introduction, saying without explanation that it lacked relevance and was unfairly prejudicial. The defense also objected to Satz placing the gun on the floor behind him in easy view of the jurors instead of placing it on an evidence table away from them. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rejected the objections.

David S. Weinstein, a Miami criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor who is not involved in the case, said the defense believes that since Cruz pleaded guilty, the gun and other evidence such as surveillance video and crime scene photos are no longer relevant and serve to inflame the jurors' emotions.

Prosecutors have successfully argued that such evidence is necessary to prove the murders included at least one aggravating factor such as being committed in a cruel or heinous manner or during a crime that endangered the lives of many people.

Pat Benatar won't sing famed 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot' song anymore in wake of mass shootings: 'I can't say those words out loud with a smile on my face'

"I'm not going to sing it. Tough," Benatar told USA Today of her 1980 smash song. "If you want to hear the song, go home and listen to it."Some of these terms might appear inconsequential, but they relate strongly to discussions on what type of guns and firearm accessories might be regulated more strictly or even banned. And some in the pro-Second Amendment camp have been known to mock people calling for new gun laws when they use incorrect firearm terminology.

Crespo also testified that Cruz, then 19, had five gun magazines remaining in the vest, containing 160 total bullets. He had fired more than 100 shots as he stalked the three-story building for seven minutes, firing down hallways and into classrooms. The former Stoneman Douglas student, who had been expelled a year earlier, wounded 17 in addition to the 14 students and three staff members.

© Provided by Associated Press Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz checks into evidence the weapon used in Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting during the penalty phase of Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Carline Jean/ Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Inside a vest pocket, Cruz, now 23, also had a police identification card his late father had been issued by a New York department. Roger Cruz died when Nikolas Cruz was 5, succumbing to a heart attack in front of him. Prosecutors did not say if Roger Cruz had been a police officer or if it were some other type of ID.

Bannon Found Guilty of Obstructing Jan. 6 Probe

After just three hours of deliberating behind closed doors on Friday, a jury in the nation’s capital found Steve Bannon guilty of contempt of Congress. Bannon, who was on trial this week for contempt of Congress over his decision to ignore subpoenas related to the Jan. 6 Committee, had promised a fiery trial that would embarrass the government. In the end, he and his legal team didn’t put a single witness on the stand—not even Bannon. TheBannon, who was on trial this week for contempt of Congress over his decision to ignore subpoenas related to the Jan. 6 Committee, had promised a fiery trial that would embarrass the government. In the end, he and his legal team didn’t put a single witness on the stand—not even Bannon.

The jurors also were shown photos Crespo took of the bodies of five students and a teacher who died on the third-floor, all with multiple wounds from being shot at close range. Those were not shown to the gallery, where several parents and family members sat. Last week, jurors saw their first graphic crime scene and autopsy photos.

Earlier Monday, the seven-man and five-woman jury and their 10 alternates heard from Uber driver Laura Zecchini, whom Cruz hired to drive him to the school. She said he appeared nervous during the 13-minute ride and was carrying a large black soft-sided carrying case. Cruz told Zecchini he was going to his music lesson.

© Provided by Associated Press Uber driver Laura Zechinni, who drove Nikolas Cruz to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, testifies in the penalty phase of Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Cruz pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder, so the jury will only decide if he is sentenced to death or life without parole.

Parkland mass shooting jurors shown graphic victims' photos

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Prosecutors on Friday showed jurors photos of the horrific damage the bullets fired by Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz's AR-15 rifle did to some of his 17 victims, causing extensive wounds to their heads, bodies and limbs. The jury also saw gruesome crime scene photos showing victims who died in their classrooms at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018, some falling on top of each other. It was an unusually graphic display in a U.S. courtroom as most of the nation's mass shootings never reach trial because the killer dies during or immediately after the attack.

His is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history to reach trial. Nine U.S. gunmen besides Cruz who killed at least 17 people died during or immediately after their shootings, either by suicide or police gunfire. The suspect in a 10th, the 2019 slaying of 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, is awaiting trial.

When jurors eventually get the case, probably in October or November, they will vote 17 times, once for each of the victims, on whether to recommend capital punishment.

For each death sentence, the jury must be unanimous or the sentence for that victim is life. The jurors are told that to vote for death, the prosecution’s aggravating circumstances for that victim must, in their judgment, “outweigh” the defense’s mitigators. A juror can also vote for life out of mercy for Cruz. During jury selection, the panelists said under oath that they are capable of voting for either sentence.

© Provided by Associated Press Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz sits at the defense table during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

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Community urges Uvalde council to suspend all city cops who reported to shooting

Family members of Uvalde school district students have called on the city council to suspend all city cops who were on the scene during the May 24 shooting. During a council meeting Tuesday night, victims' families and community members said they wanted all officers who responded that day to be held responsible for the bungled police response that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale contributed to this report.

© Provided by Associated Press Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Justin Colton testifies in the penalty phase of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)