Parkland shooter asks for Bible in solitary confinement

Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz has reportedly asked for a Bible after spending restless nights in solitary confinement in Broward County Jail.

Documents obtained by NBC News on Wednesday have described the 19-year-old shooter's behavior and movements in prison since he confessed to the mass shooting that has left 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Observation reports have indicated that Cruz has spent most of his time lying awake and staring at the ceiling.

Cruz, who remains segregated from other inmates for his own protection, is reportedly having some trouble sleeping at times and has requested to read a Bible in his cell.

The report noted that the shooting suspect "[t]wists and turns in bunk. Does not sleep. Stares at wall in deep thought, eyes closed, appears to be resting not asleep."

The report, which covers the period from Feb. 17 to 24, indicated that the shooter's request for a Bible came 10 days after the mass shooting and on the same day that he was visited by some family members.

Cruz has been placed on suicide watch, but he has been quiet, "cooperative" and taking his medication, according to records. He has reportedly eaten most of the meals he has been served ever since he was transferred from the infirmary to the jail.

After the mass shooting, Cruz had escaped from authorities by filing out of the school with terrified students, but he was arrested shortly after the incident. He has since been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the first degree and 17 counts of murder in the first degree.

Cruz has been found to have posted photos of himself with guns and making threats, and he has reportedly expressed his intention in a YouTube comment to become a "professional school shooter."

The FBI and local police have reportedly received several warnings about Cruz's behavior, but the agency has failed to follow up.

Investigators have said that Cruz had claimed to hear voices that he described as "demons," giving him instructions on how to gun down his victims.

The Feb. 14 mass shooting has sparked renewed calls for gun control, including from Parkland students who are demanding a ban on the AR-15 rifle that police say Cruz was armed with.

In response to the massacre, the Florida Legislature passed a school safety bill that allows teachers and other school employees to carry handguns. The bill also raises the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and extends a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns. Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill on Friday, marking his break with the National Rifle Association, a fierce opponent of gun control.