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Off-duty officer at Stoneman Douglas shooting had a wife, son inside at the time

Posted at 11:50 AM, Feb 23, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-23 11:50:28-05

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) —  An off-duty police officer who was on a Florida high school campus during a mass shooting says a wounded student provided "spot on" detail about the shooter.

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Coral Springs police Sgt. Jeff Heinrich said during a news conference Friday that he was helping with maintenance on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School baseball field Feb. 14 when the shooting broke out.

Heinrich says he ran toward the parking lot where kids were running. That's where he found Kyle, whose last name he didn't provide, bleeding from a massive wound. He took him to the baseball clubhouse where the student gave "tremendous descriptions" of the shooter's clothing and location.

"He was spot on," Heinrich said.

Heinrich broke down as he described a phone call minutes later with his wife, who's an assistant athletic director at the school, and his son, who's on the baseball team. They were locked in a room with two teachers and 62 students on the opposite side of the school.

Calling the school community his family, he said, "Those are kids and teachers and staff I've known for years.