At least 17 people have been killed in a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, police say.
The suspect has been named as Nikolaus Cruz, 19, and is a former student at the school who had been expelled.
Cruz, who was armed with "multiple magazines", began the shooting spree outside the school before opening fire inside, according to officials.
Students were forced to hide in classrooms as police scoured the building.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters that Cruz had used a rifle and opened fire outside the school where three people were killed. He then entered the building and killed 12 people.
Two people later died after being taken to hospital.
Dr Evan Boyar of Broward Health told reporters late on Wednesday that 17 people had been taken to area hospitals.
He added Cruz was among those treated and was released into police custody. Three people remained in a critical condition and three others were in stable condition, he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the local public school district tweeted: "Today, close to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's dismissal, students and staff heard what sounded like gunfire.
"The school immediately went on lockdown but is now dismissing students."
Police were clearing students from the school "one building at a time", the school said.
Video footage from the scene showed students being evacuated in small groups, while armed police patrolled the school's perimeter.
As the situation unfolded, helicopter footage appeared to show a person being handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car.
Coral Springs Police department tweeted instructions to teachers and students to "remain barricaded inside until police reach you".
End of Twitter post by @CoralSpringsPD
US television networks reported large numbers of parents had gathered outside the police perimeter.
Several witnesses inside the building at the time told news outlets that the fire alarm had been set off as the shooting began.
Source: BBC
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