The FBI says it failed to act on information it received which suggested that Nikolas Cruz could be planning a school shooting.
According to The Associated Press, the FBI admitted that the agency was given a tip in January about a potential threat.
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The news outlet reports that on Jan. 5 someone close to Cruz contacted them and expressed a concern that he may try to carry out an attack on his alma mater.
The Daily Mail adds that the source informed authorities that Cruz had a stockpile of weapons and that he had frequently expressed feelings of wanting to hurt people, as well as displaying genuinely concerning “erratic behavior.”
While the FBI admitted that the reports from the source should have been followed up on, they also revealed that a concerning YouTube comment Cruz allegedly posted was investigated but they were unable to determine who the individual was.
The gun store owners who sold Cruz an AR-15 recently spoke out, saying that the 19-year-old “fell through the cracks.”
Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, one for each of the students and adults he allegedly shot to death Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Michael and Lisa Morrison own Sunrise Tactical Supply, the store where Cruz purchased the weapon he used to carry out the shooting. On Thursday, their lawyer Douglas Rudman spoke to the press in front of the business.
According to The Daily Mail, Rudman told reporters that his clients sold “a lawful weapon to someone who was mentally ill.”
“Someone who fell through the cracks. Someone who was not held accountable for their actions when they were expelled from school. Someone who was not put into any sort of database and someone who was essentially allowed to go unchecked before walking into this store and purchasing a firearm,” Rudman added.
Cruz reportedly purchased only the gun from the shop and no additional ammunition or modifications.
“It is for that reason that no red flags were raised, Rudman added. “It seems like Mr. Cruz made a deliberate attempt to not draw suspicion by not buying too many things from one place.”
While filling out necessary paperwork for buying a gun, Cruz reportedly answered “no” to a question that asked about past mental health institutionalization. This was a lie, as he had previously been a facility seeking treatment for mental health issues.
In the wake of a tragic school shooting, Florida’s Governor, Rick Scott, is calling for a review of mental health reforms.
Gov. Scott spoke during a joint news conference and called for a “real conversation” about two topics. “How do we make sure when a parent is ready to send their child to school, in Florida, that parent knows that child is going to be safe?” Scott said.
“Number two: How do we make sure that this individual with mental illness does not touch a gun? We need to have a real conversation so we have public safety for our schools in this state,” he continued.
“They’re committed to provide the resources and have a real conversation about how do we make sure we have public safety. I want to make sure that my children, my grandchildren, yours, everybody in this state, can wake up and be safe. I’m going to stay here and do everything I can,” Scott later added.
