The Florida teen accused shooting and killing 17 people at his former high school on Wednesday was reportedly in a private group chat on Instagram where he regularly discussed his hatred of African Americans and Jewish people and openly talked about his desire to commit murder.
Nikolas Cruz, who allegedly confessed to Wednesday’s shooting saying ‘demon voices’ told him how to pull off the massacre, was one of the members added to ‘Murica (American flag emoji) (eagle emoji) great’, a group chat where hatred and violence were often the main topics of discussion.
According to CNN, Cruz joined the private chat around August 2017 and mainly conversed with five of its members. The outlet reports that most of the people in the chat appear to be younger than 18 and refused to reveal their identities.
Nikolas Cruz is accused of killing 17 people at his former high school Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday
Cruz was reportedly in a private Instagram group chat where he talked about his love for guns and violence
The 19-year-old also bragged about killing birds with his gun, one current member of the group told CNN
In one message, Cruz said that he wanted to kill people but later claimed it was a joke after a member told him not to say things like that
With one of his paychecks, Cruz purchased a bullet proof vest, pictured above
CNN also reports that Cruz was the one who gave the chat its name.
In one message Cruz sent to the group the 19-year-old reportedly discussed his hatred for ‘jews, n******, immigrants’. He also talked about killing Mexicans and keeping black people in chains and cutting their necks.
One member reportedly joked about Cruz’s hatred toward African Americans writing that he hated black people, too, but not ‘to a point I wanna kill the (sic) like nick’.
Cruz told the members that he did not like black people simply because they were black. He said his dislike for Jewish people was because he believed they wanted to destroy the world.
In one message, Cruz told the members that his birth mother was Jewish and said he was glad he never met her. Cruz was adopted by Roger and Lynda Cruz when he was a child.
Lynda died in November after getting sick with the flu and pneumonia. Roger died from a heart attack in 2004. Following the deaths of his adoptive parents, Cruz was taken in by James and Kimberly Snead, and their 17-year-old son, who went to school with Cruz.
The confessed killer also expressed his hatred for gay people, at one point writing that they should be shot ‘in the back of the head’.
Cruz is pictured above doing target practice outside the Parkland home he was staying at
Cruz purchased his AR-15 at Sunrise Tactical Supply store in Coral Springs, Florida
Cruz also posted numerous photos on his Instagram page of his guns
In one Instagram post, Cruz shared a photo of a target riddled with bullet holes
CNN reports that hundreds of racist messages, videos and memes were shared in the group. Some of the vile messages targeted white women who were in interracial relationships. According to Cruz, they were traitors.
The teen also talked about his love for guns and violence telling members that he used his $330 paycheck to buy body armor. He then asked the group whether it was legal to wear the armor to school.
When someone asked why he wanted to know, he reportedly replied: ‘school shooters’.
At one point, Cruz allegedly threatened: ‘I think I am going to kill people’. He later said he was joking when another member told him not to say things like that.
In another message, Cruz posted about killing animals saying that he killed a number of birds with his gun.
CNN reports that his first message in the chat was to brag about sending a letter to President Donald Trump and allegedly getting a response from the White House.
17 people were killed in Wednesday’s massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Cruz, pictured above during his arrest, was arraigned on 17 counts of murder
White House officials have not said whether Cruz actually did send a letter and get a reply back.
It’s unclear if any of the members ever reported Cruz’s disturbing messages to Instagram. The company did yet return the Daily Mail’s request for comment on what, if any, polices are in place to monitor private group messages.
Cruz is accused of killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday. He was arraigned on 17 counts of premeditated murder – charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty.