Florida Gov. Rick Scott called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign after the bureau said Friday it did not follow through with a tip about Nikolas Cruz, a month before Cruz opened fire at a Parkland, Florida school.
“The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable,” Scott wrote. “The FBI has admitted they were contacted last month by a person who called to inform them of Cruz’s ‘desire to kill people,’ and ‘the potential of him conducting a school shooting.’”
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Scott continued, “Seventeen innocent people are dead and acknowledging a mistake isn’t going to cut it. An apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life or comfort the families who are in pain. The families will spend a lifetime wondering how this could happen, and an apology will never give them the answers they desperately need.
“We constantly promote ‘see something, say something,’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act. ‘See something, say something’ is an incredibly important tool and people must have confidence in the follow through from law enforcement. The FBI Director needs to resign.”
Scott issued the statement after the FBI confirmed it received a tip about Cruz, the 19-year-old gunman who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, back in January.
The FBI said in a statement that the information was not appropriately forwarded to the FBI Miami field office.
“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,” the FBI’s statement read. “Under established protocols, the information provided by the caller should have been assessed as a potential threat to life. The information then should have been forwarded to the FBI Miami field office, where appropriate investigative steps would have been taken.”
The FBI also received a tip in September 2017, after a Mississippi YouTube user noticed a user named “Nikolas Cruz,” who wrote, “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.” The FBI said in a press conference Thursday that it did follow up that tip, investigating the account responsible for the comment, but did not uncover further information.
“No other information was included in the comment, which would indicate a time, location, or true identity of the person who made the comment,” special agent Robert Lasky told reporters, according to BuzzFeed News. “The FBI conducted database reviews, checks, but was unable to further identify the person who made the comment.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions also ordered a review of how the FBI and the Justice Department respond to tips of potential violence. Wray, who replaced Jim Comey last year, said the FBI is running its own investigation into the incident.
“We will make this a top priority,” Sessions said Friday. “It has never been more important to encourage every person in every community to spot the warning signs and alert law enforcement. Do not assume someone else will step up — all of us must be vigilant. Our children’s lives depend on it.”
