Parkland Massacre: Man Who Sold Nikolas Cruz AR-15 Claims Teen Wanted Gun For Hunting

Nikolas Cruz used AR-15 to kill 17 people at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, and on Tuesday a gun shop owner testified that the teen claimed that he wanted the weapon for hunting.

Michael Morrison sold the weapon to Cruz for $618.74 on Feb. 11, 2017, the former owner of Sunrise Tactical Supply gun store told jurors in Broward County Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale, reported Fox News. Cruz, who was 18 then, had to wait five days after the purchase to pick it up. Then a little less than a year later, he used the rifle to kill 14 students and three staff members. It was one of the deadliest mass shootings in the U.S. history.

When Cruz arrived to pick up the Smith & Wesson sporting rifle, he and Morrison, who now works in paving, briefly chatted. Morrison testified that he came out and asked the teen, what he was going to do with the rifle. The former gun shop owner said that Cruz replied, "I go shooting with my friends on the weekend. I just want my own stuff."

Florida enacted a law raising the minimum age to buy a firearm to 21 after the deadly shooting.

The shop had safeguards in place, said Morrison. He said that they look for any "red flags, any signs why this sale should not happen." He shared that if for any reason anyone was "uncomfortable with anything about the sale, the sale did not happen period."

Prosecutor Mike Satz presented the weapon on the witness box. Morrison noted that the sling, bipod and vertical grip were added after the weapon was sold. It was the first time that jurors in the penalty trial of the Florida school shooter got their first view of the rifle, reported Daily Mail.

Uber driver Laura Zecchini, who was hired by Cruz to drive him to the school the day he carried out the shooting on Feb. 14, 2018, also testified. She said that he looked nervous during the 13-minute ride. She noticed that he was carrying a big black soft-sided carrying case. Cruz told her that he was going to his music lesson.

Last October, he pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder. The ongoing penalty trial will determine whether he is sentenced to life in prison or death for the deadly shooting.