Nikolas Cruz

Cruz's trial, initially scheduled to begin on January 27, 2020, has been delayed until mid-year to allow his lawyers more time to build their case.

After the shooting, the Broward County Sheriff's Office received widespread criticism for its handling of the police response, with much of the criticism being directed at Sheriff Scott Israel for not addressing loopholes that allowed the shooter to legally purchase a firearm despite his lengthy record of threatening behavior. Israel's deputies were also criticized for staying outside the school and not immediately confronting the gunman. Several police officers who responded to the scene later resigned, and new Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Israel in January 2019 largely as a result of his conduct in regard to the shooting and replaced him with Gregory Tony. In a bipartisan vote, the Senate of Florida permanently removed Israel from the position of Broward Sheriff.

In March 2019, shortly after the first anniversary of the shooting, two Parkland survivors committed suicide. Officials renewed their efforts to provide mental health support to the school community and families and noted the long-term effects of such trauma.

Several survivors of the shooting, teachers and students alike, have struggled with survivor's guilt and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). On March 17, 2019, thirteen months after the shooting, a 19-year-old woman who survived and who had lost her friend Meadow Pollack the year before, committed suicide after struggling to attend college. She was terrified of being in a classroom and also had been treated for survivor's guilt and PTSD. Less than a week later, a 16-year old boy who had survived the shooting died of an apparent suicide.

The same week, a hearing was held to determine if taxpayers would pay for Cruz's defense. His attorney, court-appointed public defender Howard Finkelstein, pleaded with the court to wait until the probate case involving Cruz's late mother's estate was concluded and his net worth could be determined. Cruz had reportedly stated he wanted money left over from his defense to be donated to a cause that promotes healing and education in the community. On April 24, 2019, a determination was made that Cruz and his half-brother Zachary would share the proceeds of a MetLife insurance policy valued at $864,929. This would make Cruz ineligible for representation by the public defender's office, and as such, the office asked to be removed from his case on that date.

In June 2019, following an investigation that included interviews with 184 witnesses, Peterson was arrested and then bonded out for the crime of failing to protect the students during the shooting. He faces 11 charges of neglect of a child, as well as culpable negligence and perjury. Peterson pleaded not guilty and has filed a motion to have all charges dropped. As of October 2019 a trial date has not been set.

On February 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others. Witnesses identified the gunman as a 19-year-old former student at the school. The shooter fled the scene on foot by blending with other students. He was arrested without incident about an hour later in nearby Coral Springs. He confessed to being the perpetrator, and he was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Police and prosecutors have not offered a motive and are investigating "a pattern of disciplinary issues and unnerving behavior".

The shooting took place during the afternoon of February 14 , 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, an affluent suburb about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Fort Lauderdale. The shooter, former student Nikolas Cruz, was dropped off at the school by an Uber driver at 2:19 p.m., shortly before dismissal time. According to a police report, Cruz was carrying a rifle case and a backpack when he was spotted and recognized by a staff member who radioed a colleague that he was walking "purposefully" toward Building 12. The first staff member claimed that his training called for only reporting threats; his colleague hid in a closet.

An interactive timeline of the events, beginning with Cruz entering the school property, was compiled by the Sun-Sentinel and published on December 28, 2018. Entitled Unprepared and Overwhelmed, the report highlighted a myriad of shortcomings by school officials and first responders.

Alyssa Alhadeff was the captain of the Parkland Soccer Club. On March 7 , 2018—nearly three weeks after the shooting— she was honored by the United States women's national soccer team prior to a game in Orlando. Her teammates and family were invited to the game and presented with official jerseys that featured Alhadeff's name.

On January 5 , 2018, more than a month before the shooting, the FBI received a tip on its Public Access Line from a person who was close to Cruz. On February 16 , two days after the shooting, the agency released a statement that detailed this information. According to the statement, "The caller provided information about Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting." After conducting an investigation, the FBI said the tip line did not follow protocol when the information was not forwarded to the Miami Field Office, where investigative steps would have been taken. The FBI opened a probe into the tip line's operations.

The school district conducted an assessment of the handling of Cruz. According to their redacted report, which was reviewed in August 2018 by The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and other media, a year before the shooting Cruz had sought help from education specialists, as his grades at Stoneman Douglas were declining. He was an eighteen-year-old junior, and met with the specialists with his mother. The specialists recommended that he transfer to another school, Cross Creek in Pompano Beach, where he had done well before. But he wanted to graduate with his class at Stoneman Douglas, and rejected this option, as an adult. He was advised that if he stayed, he would no longer be able to access special education services, but this was incorrect. A few months later, he withdrew because of failing grades. After that, Cruz requested to go to Cross Creek, but he was told a new assessment was needed, delaying action.

On March 7, 2018 , a grand jury indicted Cruz on 34 charges: 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder. He was arraigned on March 13 , and the prosecution filed notice of their intent to seek the death penalty. They said they can prove five of the aggravating factors that qualify a murder for the death penalty in Florida. Cruz declined to enter a plea, so Judge Scherer entered "not guilty" on his behalf. The defense had earlier offered a guilty plea if the death penalty were taken off the table, and reiterated it immediately before it was refused.

Meanwhile, with respect to Cruz's confession, Judge Scherer ruled on July 26, 2018 that it would be released to the public with certain details redacted. On August 3, Judge Scherer additionally ruled that the Broward school district's report on Cruz would be released to the public. Some portions of the report were redacted to protect Cruz's privacy rights. Cruz's confession was released on August 6. On August 8, a video of Cruz's confession filmed by the Broward County Sheriff's Office was published by TMZ. Cruz can be heard crying near the end of the video, and saying "kill me" to the camera.

According to the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Cruz attacked a jail officer on the night of November 13, 2018. The following day, he was charged with aggravated assault on an officer, battery on an officer and use of an "electric or chemical weapon against an officer." The officer who was attacked by Cruz had asked him to "not drag his sandals on the ground" while he was walking in the jail's dayroom. Cruz responded by "displaying his middle finger" and striking the officer in the face. He also grabbed the stun gun out of the deputy's holster. The weapon discharged during the brawl before the deputy regained control. Cruz appeared at an initial hearing on the assault charges, where bail was set at $200,000.

On May 30, 2018, prosecutors released three videos that Cruz had recorded on his cellphone before the shooting. In the videos, Cruz describes his personal feelings, his enthusiasm and plan for the shooting, his hatred of people, and how it will make him notorious.

On November 30, 2018, the Sun-Sentinel reported that Broward County Public Schools, which runs Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, had spent about $185,000 attempting to obscure its role in not preventing the massacre. The district also spent an undisclosed sum on legal opposition to release of records related to the school's treatment of Nikolas Cruz while he was a student, and the school security procedures. A company named CEN received a $60,000 payment to review Cruz's school records and to investigate if the Broward County Public Schools followed the law in its handling of Cruz as a troubled student. The final report omitted various details about the instability of Cruz.

The school held its graduation ceremony on June 3, 2018, and diplomas were presented to the families of Nicholas Dworet, Joaquin Oliver, Meadow Pollack, and Carmen Schentrup, four students who were killed in the attack. Stoneman Douglas principal Ty Thompson began by dedicating the ceremony to "those not with us". Many graduates wore sashes that were emblazoned with #MSDStrong, or decorated their caps with references to the Never Again movement, while some dedicated their caps to their late classmates. Families of the victims also made statements; the mother of Joaquin Oliver accepted his diploma wearing a shirt saying "This should be my son". Talk show host Jimmy Fallon made a surprise appearance and gave a commencement speech to the graduating class, thanking them for their courage and bravery.

Sheriff Israel said that Coral Springs officers were the first to enter the building, about four minutes after Cruz had surreptitiously left the school. Due to a tape delay in viewing surveillance footage, officers believed that Cruz was still in the building. As of early March 2018 there were three investigations into the timeline of police response.

In the aftermath of the shooting, some of the student survivors organized a group called Never Again MSD. The group was created on social media with the hashtag #NeverAgain, activism inspired in part by the ground broken by the #MeToo movement and the 2018 Women's March. The group demanded legislative action to prevent similar shootings, and has condemned lawmakers who received political contributions from the National Rifle Association. The group held a rally on February 17 in Fort Lauderdale that was attended by hundreds of supporters.

In May 2018, Cameron Kasky's father registered a super PAC, Families vs Assault Rifles PAC (FAMSVARPAC), with intentions of going "up against NRA candidates in every meaningful race in the country".

On February 20, 2018, Trump directed the Department of Justice to issue regulations to ban bump stocks.

On March 23 , the STOP School Violence Act was signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, which increases funding for metal detectors, security training, and similar safety measures. Lawmakers made it clear it was in response to the shooting and the public outcry. Some students from the Stoneman Douglas High School, who were active in calling for stricter gun control (not just safety measures), said the measure was passed because lawmakers "pass something very easy and simple that everyone can get behind. But that's because it doesn't do anything."

On May 23, 2018, the parents of victims Jaime Guttenberg and Alex Schachter sued firearm manufacturer American Outdoor Brands Corporation, formerly known as Smith & Wesson, the manufacturer of the rifle used by Cruz, and distributor Sunrise Tactical Supply, the retailer who sold Cruz the rifle, claiming damages due to "the defendant's complicity in the entirely foreseeable, deadly use of the assault-style weapons that they place on the market."

Fifteen survivors sued the county, sheriff and school officials for failing to protect them. This lawsuit was dismissed in December 2018. "

In the aftermath of the shooting, more than $7.5 million was raised for the victims as of April 2018. Two other funds, Florida's Crime Victims Compensation Fund, which pays for medical and funeral expenses, and the National Compassion Fund, which pays for pain and suffering, are also available to help the victims of the Parkland shooting.

The Alliance for Securing Democracy alleged that Russia-linked accounts on Twitter and other platforms used the shooting's aftermath to inflame tensions and divide Americans by posting loaded comments that oppose gun control. Other Russia-linked accounts labeled the shooting a false flag operation that the U.S. government would exploit to seize guns from citizens. Hundreds of Russian bots are also suspected of coming to the defense of Laura Ingraham on Twitter following the boycott of her show, The Ingraham Angle that resulted from her public ridicule of Hogg. The conspiracy theories about survivors like Hogg and González were named PolitiFact's 2018 Lie of the Year.

He returned to Stoneman Douglas High School two years later but was banished in 2017 for disciplinary reasons. As he could not be expelled from the Broward County School system completely, he was transferred to alternate placement. The school administration had circulated an email to teachers, warning that Cruz had made threats against other students. The school banned him from wearing a backpack on campus.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel described Cruz's online profiles and accounts as "very, very disturbing". They contained pictures and posts of him with a variety of weapons, including long knives, a shotgun, a pistol, and a BB gun. Police said that he held "extremist" views; social media accounts that were thought to be linked to him contained anti-black and anti-Muslim slurs. YouTube comments linked to him include "I wanna die Fighting [sic] killing shit ton [sic] of people", threats against police officers and "antifa," and intent to mimic the University of Texas tower shooting. In February 2017, Cruz legally purchased an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle from a Coral Springs gun store. At the time of the shooting, in Florida, people 18 or older were allowed to buy rifles from federally licensed dealers. The age requirement has since been raised to 21. Cruz passed a background check. A year later, he used this weapon to commit the mass shooting at his former school.

On September 24 , 2017, a person with the username "nikolas cruz" posted a comment to a YouTube video that read, "Im [sic] going to be a professional school shooter". The person who uploaded the video to YouTube reported the comment to the FBI. According to agent Robert Lasky, the agency conducted database reviews but was unable to track down the individual who made the threatening comment.

In 2016 and 2017, the sheriff's office received a number of tips about threats by a person named Nikolas Cruz to carry out a school shooting. The FBI learned that a YouTube user with the username "nikolas cruz" posted a message in September 2017 about becoming a school shooter, but the agency could not identify the user. In January 2018, someone contacted the FBI tip line with a direct complaint that Cruz had made a death threat, but the complaint was not forwarded to the local FBI office.

A former classmate said Cruz had anger management issues and often joked about guns and gun violence, which included threats of shooting up establishments. The brother of a 2016 graduate described him as "super stressed out all the time and talked about guns a lot and tried to hide his face". A student who was enrolled at the school at the time of the shooting said, "I think everyone had in their minds if anybody was going to do it, it was going to be him." A classmate who was assigned to work with him in sophomore year said, "He told me how he got kicked out of two private schools. He was held back twice. He had aspirations to join the military. He enjoyed hunting." A student's mother said that he also bragged about killing animals. A neighbor said his mother would call the police over to the house to try to talk some sense into him.

Sheriff Scott Israel said that his office received 23 calls about Cruz during the previous decade, but this figure is in dispute. CNN used a public records request to obtain a sheriff's office log, which showed that from 2008 to 2017, at least 45 calls were made in reference to Cruz, his brother, or the family home. On February 5 , 2016, the calls used an anonymous tip that Cruz had threatened to shoot up the school, and a tip on November 30 , 2017, that he might be a "school shooter in the making" and that he collected knives and guns. On September 23 , 2016, a peer counselor notified the school resource officer of his suicide attempt and intent to buy a gun; the school indicated it would do a "threat assessment".

In September 2016, three people—a sheriff's deputy who worked as a resource officer at Stoneman Douglas, and two of the school's counselors—stated that Cruz should be committed for mental evaluation.

Cruz had behavioral issues since middle school, but a Washington Post writer said the student was "entrenched in the process for getting students help rather than referring them to law enforcement." He was transferred between schools six times in three years in an effort to deal with these problems. In 2014, he was transferred to a school for children with emotional or learning disabilities. There were reports that he made threats against other students.

However, the Miami Herald transcribed radio dispatches that Peterson at 2:23 said, "Be advised we have possible, could be firecrackers. I think we have shots fired, possible shots fired —1200 building". Seconds later, Peterson radioed: "We're talking about the 1200 building it's going to be the building off Holmberg Road Get the school locked down, gentlemen!" At 2:25, he radioed that "We also heard it's by, inside the 1200". At an unspecified time, Peterson called for police to ensure that "no one comes inside the school". At 2:27, at Building 12, he radioed, "Stay at least 500 feet away at this point." At an unspecified time, Peterson ordered: "Do not approach the 12 or 1300 building, stay at least 500 feet away".

Sheriff Israel called on lawmakers to amend the Baker Act to allow police to detain and hospitalize people who make disturbing posts—not just clear threats—on social media. "I'm talking about being around bombs, possibly talking about 'I want to be a serial killer', talking about taking people's lives", he said. "Just taking a picture with a gun or a knife or a weapon – that in and of itself is clearly not even remotely something that we're concerned about."

Psychiatrists recommended an involuntary admission of Cruz to a residential treatment facility, starting in 2013. The Florida Department of Children and Families investigated him in September 2016 for Snapchat posts in which he cut both his arms and said he planned to buy a gun. At this time, a school resource officer suggested he undergo an involuntary psychiatric examination under the provisions of the Baker Act. Two guidance counselors agreed, but a mental institution did not. State investigators reported he had depression, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In their assessment, they concluded he was "at low risk of harming himself or others". He had previously received mental health treatment, but had not received treatment in the year leading up to the shooting.

During the week of April 8–12, 2018, Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer included a three-page letter from a Minnesotan into the court record of the case. The letter was addressed to the judge and claimed that research into Cruz's past led the writer to believe that Cruz suffered from a developmental disability and that he was " fearful of other people and was threatened by bullies." The letter ended by claiming that Cruz appeared to be consumed by sadness and depression. This is part of a string of letters that have been sent to the judge, asking for her to show mercy or for God to forgive his actions against his victims.

Al Hoffman Jr., a Republican donor in Florida, pledged that he would no longer fund legislative groups or candidates who were not actively working to ban sales of military-style assault weapons to civilians. He said, "For how many years now have we been doing this – having these experiences of terrorism, mass killings – and how many years has it been that nothing's been done?"

The killing spree is the deadliest high school shooting in United States history, surpassing the Columbine High School massacre that killed 15, including the perpetrators, in Colorado in April 1999. The shooting came at a period of heightened public support for gun control that followed mass shootings in Las Vegas, Nevada and Sutherland Springs, Texas, in October and November 2017.

Nikolas Jacob Cruz was born September 24, 1998 in Margate, Florida and was adopted at birth by Lynda and Roger Cruz. Both his adoptive parents died, Roger at age 67 in 2004, and Lynda at age 68 in November 2017, leaving Cruz orphaned three months before the shooting. Since his mother's death, he had been living with relatives and friends. At the time of the shooting, he was enrolled in a GED program and employed at a local dollar store.