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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/15/florida-shooting-suspect-charged-questions-nikolas-cruz
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Florida shooting suspect charged amid questions over warning signs | Florida shooting suspect charged amid questions over warning signs |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Nikolas Cruz charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland | Nikolas Cruz charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder over shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland |
| Oliver Laughland and | Oliver Laughland and |
| Richard Luscombe in Parkland and | Richard Luscombe in Parkland and |
| Jon Henley | Jon Henley |
| Thu 15 Feb 2018 12.20 GMT | Thu 15 Feb 2018 12.20 GMT |
| Last modified on Thu 15 Feb 2018 15.05 GMT | |
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| Questions have emerged over whether law enforcement officials and local authorities failed to act on warning signals about the teenage gunman who killed 17 people in a Florida high school with an AR-15 assault rifle on Wednesday. | Questions have emerged over whether law enforcement officials and local authorities failed to act on warning signals about the teenage gunman who killed 17 people in a Florida high school with an AR-15 assault rifle on Wednesday. |
| Former classmates of the suspected gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder on Thursday, described him as “weird” and “a loner”, and said “everyone predicted” he would “do something”. Last year he was expelled from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland for disciplinary reasons. | Former classmates of the suspected gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder on Thursday, described him as “weird” and “a loner”, and said “everyone predicted” he would “do something”. Last year he was expelled from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland for disciplinary reasons. |
| A comment left on a YouTube video by a user named Nikolas Cruz warning “I’m going to be a professional school shooter” was also flagged to law enforcement officials last September and subsequently removed by YouTube. | A comment left on a YouTube video by a user named Nikolas Cruz warning “I’m going to be a professional school shooter” was also flagged to law enforcement officials last September and subsequently removed by YouTube. |
| Ben Bennight, who posted the video and alerted the FBI, told Buzzfeed News that officers had followed up “immediately”, asking him if he knew anything about the user who had left the comment and taking a copy of his screenshot. | Ben Bennight, who posted the video and alerted the FBI, told Buzzfeed News that officers had followed up “immediately”, asking him if he knew anything about the user who had left the comment and taking a copy of his screenshot. |
| While the FBI has not confirmed the account belonged to the alleged gunman, FBI agents interviewed Bennight again after the shooting, wanting to know if he knew anything about the user who had left the comment. | While the FBI has not confirmed the account belonged to the alleged gunman, FBI agents interviewed Bennight again after the shooting, wanting to know if he knew anything about the user who had left the comment. |
| The Nikolas Cruz YouTube account was taken down on Wednesday night. The Broward County sheriff, Scott Israel, who identified the shooter as Cruz, said police had found “very disturbing” material when searching his social media. | The Nikolas Cruz YouTube account was taken down on Wednesday night. The Broward County sheriff, Scott Israel, who identified the shooter as Cruz, said police had found “very disturbing” material when searching his social media. |
| Twelve people died inside the high school, two more just outside the building, one in a nearby street and two in hospital, Israel confirmed, adding that the gunman had been armed with at least one assault rifle and “countless magazines, multiple magazines”. | Twelve people died inside the high school, two more just outside the building, one in a nearby street and two in hospital, Israel confirmed, adding that the gunman had been armed with at least one assault rifle and “countless magazines, multiple magazines”. |
| Cruz was booked into the county jail in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday morning after being questioned for several hours by state and federal authorities. | Cruz was booked into the county jail in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday morning after being questioned for several hours by state and federal authorities. |
| In a tweet on Thursday morning Donald Trump made no mention of gun control, instead focusing on Cruz’s background. “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” Trump wrote. “Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!” | In a tweet on Thursday morning Donald Trump made no mention of gun control, instead focusing on Cruz’s background. “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” Trump wrote. “Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!” |
| On Wednesday, officers surrounded the campus, directing the evacuation of hundreds of students, while other teenagers hid inside cupboards and under desks to stay safe. Witnesses later told reporters that they thought the school alarms were a fire drill until they heard gunshots in the hallways. | On Wednesday, officers surrounded the campus, directing the evacuation of hundreds of students, while other teenagers hid inside cupboards and under desks to stay safe. Witnesses later told reporters that they thought the school alarms were a fire drill until they heard gunshots in the hallways. |
| The tragedy appears to be the eighth deadliest mass shooting in modern US history and one of the worst ever school massacres. Israel – whose triplets attended the school – called it a “horrific, horrific day”. | The tragedy appears to be the eighth deadliest mass shooting in modern US history and one of the worst ever school massacres. Israel – whose triplets attended the school – called it a “horrific, horrific day”. |
| A total of 17 people were taken to three hospitals, of whom two died, and at least three more were in critical condition. The suspect was also treated and released into police custody. | A total of 17 people were taken to three hospitals, of whom two died, and at least three more were in critical condition. The suspect was also treated and released into police custody. |
| Dakota Mutchler, a 17-year-old junior at the school and a former friend of Cruz, said he had started “progressively getting a little more weird, and I kind of cut off from him”. Mutchler said Cruz had posted about killing animals on social media and talked about guns and target practice. | Dakota Mutchler, a 17-year-old junior at the school and a former friend of Cruz, said he had started “progressively getting a little more weird, and I kind of cut off from him”. Mutchler said Cruz had posted about killing animals on social media and talked about guns and target practice. |
| “Everyone in the school that knew him speculated about him,” said Mutchler. “When someone’s expelled, you don’t really expect them to come back … If they’re expelled, they’re gone. But of course, he came back.” | “Everyone in the school that knew him speculated about him,” said Mutchler. “When someone’s expelled, you don’t really expect them to come back … If they’re expelled, they’re gone. But of course, he came back.” |
| Victoria Olvera, also 17, said “he just changed. As far as I knew, he was like a future school shooter.” Another student told CNN: “All the kids joked … saying he was the one that screwed up at school, but it turns out everyone predicted it. That’s crazy.” | Victoria Olvera, also 17, said “he just changed. As far as I knew, he was like a future school shooter.” Another student told CNN: “All the kids joked … saying he was the one that screwed up at school, but it turns out everyone predicted it. That’s crazy.” |
| According to the Sun Sentinel, Cruz’s mother died of pneumonia last November. She and her late husband had adopted Nikolas and his biological brother, Zachary, after the couple moved from Long Island in New York to Broward County. | According to the Sun Sentinel, Cruz’s mother died of pneumonia last November. She and her late husband had adopted Nikolas and his biological brother, Zachary, after the couple moved from Long Island in New York to Broward County. |
| The boys were left in the care of a family friend after their mother died, a family member said, and moved to stay at a friend’s family around Thanksgiving. That family’s lawyer, Jim Lewis, said they knew Cruz owned an AR-15. They made him keep it locked up in a cabinet, to which he had a key. | The boys were left in the care of a family friend after their mother died, a family member said, and moved to stay at a friend’s family around Thanksgiving. That family’s lawyer, Jim Lewis, said they knew Cruz owned an AR-15. They made him keep it locked up in a cabinet, to which he had a key. |
| Cruz was arrested outside the school campus. Helicopter footage showed seven officers putting handcuffs on a man in a dark burgundy shirt. They placed him inside a police cruiser. | Cruz was arrested outside the school campus. Helicopter footage showed seven officers putting handcuffs on a man in a dark burgundy shirt. They placed him inside a police cruiser. |
| A 15-year-old student who did not want to be named told the Guardian he had been in the same building where the gunman opened fire. “I heard three gunshots,” the student said. “And then some more down the corridor. | A 15-year-old student who did not want to be named told the Guardian he had been in the same building where the gunman opened fire. “I heard three gunshots,” the student said. “And then some more down the corridor. |
| “We shut our classroom door and stood to the side of it so we wouldn’t be seen. Twenty minutes later the police broke in through the glass. I was terrified.” | “We shut our classroom door and stood to the side of it so we wouldn’t be seen. Twenty minutes later the police broke in through the glass. I was terrified.” |
| Sivan Odiz, a 23-year-old local resident with close family friends in the school, said a 15-year-old friend of her brother had been inside a classroom targeted by the shooter. She had been in contact with the student after the shooting happened: “He said he pretended to be dead, but when he got up, there were two people shot. He’s really shaken up.” | Sivan Odiz, a 23-year-old local resident with close family friends in the school, said a 15-year-old friend of her brother had been inside a classroom targeted by the shooter. She had been in contact with the student after the shooting happened: “He said he pretended to be dead, but when he got up, there were two people shot. He’s really shaken up.” |
| A teacher, Melissa Falkowski, described to CNN how she hid with 19 children for more than 40 minutes. “It was the end of the school day and the fire alarm went off, and we went to evacuate as if it was a fire drill,” Falkowski said. | A teacher, Melissa Falkowski, described to CNN how she hid with 19 children for more than 40 minutes. “It was the end of the school day and the fire alarm went off, and we went to evacuate as if it was a fire drill,” Falkowski said. |
| The school “could not have been more prepared for this situation”, she said, adding: “We have trained the kids for what to do … We did everything that we were supposed to do. I feel today like our government, our country, has failed us and failed our kids and didn’t keep us safe.” | The school “could not have been more prepared for this situation”, she said, adding: “We have trained the kids for what to do … We did everything that we were supposed to do. I feel today like our government, our country, has failed us and failed our kids and didn’t keep us safe.” |
| Florida school shooting | Florida school shooting |
| Break the cycle | Break the cycle |
| US gun control | US gun control |
| Florida | Florida |
| news | news |
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