Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s former ROTC leader recently spoke out about the teen, saying he thought Cruz was odd but not dangerous.
Jack Ciaramello is a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High where Cruz was kicked out of and returned on Feb. 14 to carry out the attack. Ciaramello is also a leader in the school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Ciaramello recently explained that his interactions with Cruz left him feeling like the confessed gunman was somewhat troubled, but he says that he never imagined he was capable of carrying out a mass shooting.
According to The Daily Mail, Ciaramello was not at school during the time of the shooting but his younger brother was.
The gun store owners who sold Cruz an AR-15 are reportedly seeking help from Yelp over backlash they are facing. According to reports, Sunrise Tactical Supply has seen their Yelp score negatively affected as people have taken to the page to rate them with one star.
There are also many angry comments, such as reviewers calling the owners “complicit” in the shooting and others saying they hope the store gets “as much negative press as possible.”
TMZ reports Yelp has added an “Active Cleanup Alert” to the business’ page, which reads, “This business has recently been in the news in connection with a recent tragedy. As a result, people may be coming to this page to share their thoughts and concerns.”
Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, one for each of the students and adults he allegedly shot to death Wednesday in Parkland, Florida.
Sunrise Tactical Supply is owned by Michael and Lisa Morrison. 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 in a facility seeking treatment for mental health issues.
The store has reportedly closed indefinitely at this time due to the controversy of being connected to the shooting.
