Confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz talks about ‘voices & demons’ during his arrest

Author: CBS Miami
Published: Updated:
Cruz Arrest. Credit: State Attorney’s Office via CBS Miami.

Nikolas Cruz, the self-confessed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter, says there were demons and voices in his head as police captured and cuffed the killer on the day of the worst school shooting in Florida history.

The State Attorney’s Office released BSO body cam video Friday afternoon.

It gives us a glimpse into the moments right after Nikolas Cruz was arrested from the body camera of Sgt. Gregory Lacerra of the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

WATCH THE POLICE BODY CAM VIDEO HERE:

With Cruz on the ground and handcuffed, he immediately started talking about demons.

Lacerra asks Cruz, “What’s going on? What’s going on today bro?”

Cruz replies, “Demons man.”

“Demons?” asks Lacerra.

“Voices and demons,” says Cruz then asks, “Where are the voices?”

Then Cruz curses “What the (bleep)? Where the (bleep) am I? What happened?”

Another deputy can be heard saying, “Shut up,” and Lacerra says, “Just be quiet.”

At the end of the video, there is the sound of someone crying.

The video was recorded about 90 minutes after the shooting.

School surveillance cameras captured Cruz fleeing the school right after the rampage and blending in with other students.

Surveillance cameras also captured Cruz at a nearby Walmart ordering a drink and calmly sitting at a McDonald’s with the brother of a student that Cruz had just shot and seriously injured. The investigation revealed that Cruz even asked that boy for a ride.

About 50 minutes after that McDonald’s encounter, he was captured.

During the interrogation, Detective Curcio would flat out tell Cruz he did not believe he was actually hearing voices.

Cruz: “To me, it’s me and then my bad side.”

Curcio: “I understand. Everybody’s got a quote good and bad side. There’s people.”

Cruz: “No. It’s a voice. The voice is in here. And then it’s me. It’s just regular me just trying to be a good person.”

Curcio: “Okay. But obviously, again, when you say it’s a voice, it’s you. It’s all you.”

Cruz: “What do you mean?”

Curcio: “The voice is you as well.”

Cruz: “There’s– yeah.”

Curcio: “The voice didn’t force you do anything right.”

Cruz: “No the voice did. It’s two voices. There’s one half that’s a good and then the bad.”

Nikolas Cruz has received a lot of mental health counseling and care over the years. However, the Commission that investigated the shooting said Cruz was never diagnosed with a serious mental illness.

The Commission also said that Cruz discontinued mental health treatment once he turned 18.

Cruz is accused of killing 17 students and faculty and wounding 17 others at the school in Parkland in February 2018. He is also accused of assaulting a jail corrections officer while in custody.

He faces the death penalty if convicted.

The trial is expected to begin in early 2020 but no exact date has been set.

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