Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz’s Rifle Shown to His Jurors

Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz checks into evidence the weapon used in the MSD shooting during the penalty phase of shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on July 25, 2022. Carline Jean/ Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—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.

Lead prosecutor Mike Satz removed the black Smith & Wesson from a cardboard box and carried it to Broward sheriff’s Sgt. Gloria Crespo, who said it was found in a third-floor stairwell after the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting. Video seen by jurors previously showed Cruz placed it on the landing along with his backpack and the black shooter’s vest he had been wearing before fleeing the school.