WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said here that making schools and students safer will be a priority during a national address on Thursday, after a mass shooting at a Florida high shool killed 17 people and wounded 14 others one day ago.

"No student, no teacher should be in danger in an American school," Trump said from the White House. "No parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them goodbye in the morning."

The president also said that he planned to visit the shooting scene in Parkland, Florida, to meet with families and local officials and to continue coordinating the federal response.

The shooting took place around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when students were being dismissed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the city of Parkland in Broward County, just north of Miami on the state's southeastern tip.

The suspected gunman, captured shortly after the shooting, was identified as Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old expelled student from the school.

He was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and multiple ammunition magazines, police said.

Cruz was expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon for a bond hearing, faced with 17 counts of premeditated murder, according to the state attorney's office.