Parkland Shooter's Rifle Magazines Were Etched With Swastikas: Reports

Officials say they found swastikas etched into the Florida high school shooter’s rifle magazines, CNN and CBS News reported.

It’s unclear whether Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old who police say confessed  to opening fire Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has any connections to white supremacist groups . 

Florida’s Department of Children and Family Services investigated Cruz in 2016 after video on Snapchat showed the teen cutting his arms. During the investigation, Cruz’s mother told officials her son had drawn “hate signs,” including a Nazi symbol and the words “I hate N*****s,” on his backpack at some point, reported the Sun-Sentinel .

Initial media reports of the massacre connected Cruz to the Florida-based white supremacist group Republic of Florida. But there later proved little evidence  of such a link.

The accused gunman fired 150 rounds in roughly seven minutes, killing 17 people, before trying to escape by dropping his rifle and his backpack in an attempt to blend in with other students, investigators have said.

Cruz left behind 180 rounds of ammunition, which suggests the death toll could have been higher if the gunman continued shooting instead of attempting to flee, according to CNN and CBS News.

A Broward County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told HuffPost the investigation was “active and ongoing,” and would not confirm reports regarding swastikas and ammunition found in the school. A representative for the Coral Springs Police Department directed questions to the sheriff’s office.

This article has been updated to include comment from the sheriff’s office.