Two people have been arrested for allegedly stealing dozens of items from the mass shooting memorial at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, officials say.
Michael Shawn Kennedy, 37, and Kara O’Neil, 40 were arrested Sunday after witnesses told authorities they saw them “willfully and knowingly deface and remove monument items” on school grounds and on fencing around the school, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said.
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Deputies had responded after a 911 caller said a man was “ripping posters down and picking up items from the crosses,” according to the incident report.
An officer saw Kennedy placing pinwheels in the backseat of a car that was stopped in front of a “no stopping anytime” sign.
The incident report says that these items from the memorial were found in their car: a Parkland athletics trophy; a shadowbox with photos of the 17 victims; 17 white metal angel pennants; dedication plaques that say “The Mighty Seventeen” and “MSD Parkland Strong”; 3 white teddy bears; an anti-gun banner; 25 pinwheel lawn ornaments some with the victims’ names; American flags; and a red stone that says “Never Again.”
Kennedy allegedly told authorities they were making a memorial of their own and that the items were theirs. One deputy noted that Kennedy said, “I ripped down the anti-gun banner because I am pro-gun,” according to the incident report.
The two “appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and were being belligerent,” the incident report added.
Kennedy and O’Neil were each arrested for removing or disfiguring a tomb or monument, a felony offense, the sheriff’s office said. They were both held on $1,000 bond Monday, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
“The subjects had no permission or authority to remove items and damage the monument for the deceased,” arrest reports said. “The subjects were at the monument at an unreasonable hour and maliciously intended to damage the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School monument.”
A committee of volunteers in March spent almost two days putting together the lovingly placed tributes at the memorial.
I’m kind of speechless,” said Sari Kaufman, a 15-year-old sophomore who shared classes with shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, 14. “I know that memorial has helped us all cope.”
“That whole monument is just to honor [those who died],” she said. “It’s kind of like stealing from them, their families and our whole community.”
Kennedy has served time in state prison for prior convictions for delivering oxycontin, burglary and assault on a law enforcement officer, according to prosecutor Eric Linder.
Kennedy spoke on his own behalf in court, telling Broward County Judge Kim Theresa Mollica,
“I feel the charging document has insufficient facia elements … it is neither a tomb nor a monument.”
Mollica looked up the state statute and disagreed with Kennedy, saying the law also protected a memorial for the dead or burial artifacts.
