BROWARD COUNTY, Florida - The February 2018 massacre at South Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has been classified as the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history, and the 23-year-old former student accused as responsible for the shooting now intends to plead guilty to the charges against him. 

According to CNN, Nikolas Cruz will plead guilty to charges stemming from the Valentine's Day shooting in Parkland that left 17 students and faculty members dead and injured 17 others.

Despite the fact that he'd previously confessed to police, Cruz initially pleaded not guilty in court, this  behalf in the shooting, though he had confessed to police, according to a probable cause affidavit.

He'd been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the first degree and 17 counts of first-degree attempted murder.

The shooting triggered a widespread national protest movement against gun violence in American schools, with some survivors and victims' relatives becoming widely recognized for speaking out and confronting lawmakers to plead for gun control reform.