Accused Florida gunman visited restaurants, store after killing - Police

The 19-year-old man accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school fled hidden in a crowd of frightened students and visited two fast food restaurants before he was arrested less than two hours after the massacre, officials said on Thursday.

Authorities said the alleged gunman, Nikolas Cruz, stopped at a Wal-Mart, a Subway restaurant and a McDonald's immediately after carrying one of the deadliest mass shootings at a public school in US history.

"The suspect crossed fields and ran west along with others who were fleeing and tried to mix in with the group that were running away, fearing for their lives," Broward Country Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters.

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Cruz, who has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, is accused of using a legally purchased AR-15-style weapon in Wednesday's attack, moving through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland outside Miami.

Cruz was a former student of the school who had been expelled.