Candlelight Vigil Held For Florida School Shooting Victims

PARKLAND, Fla. (CBSNewYork/AP) — The 17 people killed in the Florida high school shooting were remembered Thursday at a candlelight vigil attended by at least 1,000 people.

There was a sea of candles and a moment of silence as the victims' names were read aloud. Some mourners sobbed openly.

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Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime Guttenberg was killed, spoke at the vigil.

"This is impossible," he said. "My girl. My 14-year-old baby."

Dressed in the school's colors, some held flowers while others wielded signs asking for action to fight school violence, including gun control. Members of the crowd spontaneously started shouting "no more guns, no more guns" at one point.

"I have two kids, and I think the only way it's going to stop is if we get the gun lobbyists off the back of politicians," Tighe Barry said.

Ernest Rospierski, a teacher at the school, took several bracing breaths at the vigil as he talked to a reporter about the horror in the halls.

"Bang bang bang - all of a sudden the shooting stopped," he said. "I looked down. He was reloading. I yelled run. And then I ran behind as many kids as I could."

There was also a request for everyone to carry out acts of kindness.

Among the victims was 15-year-old student Peter Wang, whose classmates say was shot and killed as he held the door open for other students to run out.

Aaron Feis was an assistant football coach and security guard at the school who shielded others in the gunfire. Scott Beigel, a geography teacher who grew up in Dix Hills, Long Island, was also killed protecting students.

"He basically saved my life and if not for him, I may not be here today," one student said.

Others who did not escape include 14-year-old Alaina Petty, who helped Hurricane Irma victims rebuild. Carmen Schentrump, 16, was a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist. And 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver, a native of Venuzeula, had just become an American citizen.

The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was charged Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder. His attorney said the orphaned teen is remorseful and has been deeply troubled since his mother's sudden death in November.

"He is fully aware of what's going on," said defense attorney Melisa McNeill. "He is a broken human being."

Investigators say Cruz took an Uber to his former school Wednesday, armed with his semi-automatic rifle that legally bought last February.

Once inside, police say he unleashed a spray of gunfire on the first and second floors over the course of six minutes, sending frantic students and staff running for cover.

As others escaped, police said he dropped the rifle and a backpack, ran back down the stairs and quickly blended in with panicked, fleeing students.

He was arrested about 40 minutes later after police said he made stops at a Walmart, a Subway and a McDonald's nearby.

Cruz was ordered held without bond at a brief court hearing Thursday. Executive Chief Public Defender Gordon Weekes said Cruz was under a suicide watch.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)