School shooting suspect legally purchased AR-15 within past year

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. -- (WBBH) -- The Broward County Jail has released the arrest information for suspected Parkland gunman Nikolas Cruz.

Cruz was arrested Wednesday after allegedly shooting several students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17.

The 19-year-old has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

Police said Cruz was armed with multiple magazines and at least one AR-15 style rifle.

The AR-15 was traced and two law enforcement officials told ABC News the firearm was legally purchased by Cruz within the past year from a federally licensed dealer.

The legal age to purchase a firearm from a federally licensed dealer is 18.

Investigators believe the suspect pulled the school's fire alarm to draw people out and get a higher death toll, according to a law enforcement source.

Cruz was a student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School before being expelled for disciplinary reasons.

He is being held without bond.

"They took this kid in. They had no predilection that anything like this was going to happen," said attorney James Lewis. "He was a very mild mannered kid. He's going through some tough times with losing his mom, but he obeyed all the house rules. He lived there without any concerns or issues for almost three months and they are shocked and horrified by the allegations that are being made."

Police said they found Cruz about three-quarters of a mile from the high school shortly after he opened fire.