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| Florida suspect: questions raised over outcast 'everyone speculated about' | Florida suspect: questions raised over outcast 'everyone speculated about' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Disturbing posts pepper Nikolas Cruz’s social media, prompting questions about how he slipped through the net | Disturbing posts pepper Nikolas Cruz’s social media, prompting questions about how he slipped through the net |
| Haroon Siddique | Haroon Siddique |
| Fri 16 Feb 2018 14.12 GMT | Fri 16 Feb 2018 14.12 GMT |
| Last modified on Fri 16 Feb 2018 15.46 GMT | |
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| The 19-year-old suspect in the Florida high school shooting has confessed to killing 17 people and is “sad” and “remorseful”, his lawyer has said. | The 19-year-old suspect in the Florida high school shooting has confessed to killing 17 people and is “sad” and “remorseful”, his lawyer has said. |
| Nikolas Cruz, responsible for one of the US’s worst school shootings, cut a pathetic figure in court, where his defence lawyer Melissa McNeil described him as a “broken human being”. | Nikolas Cruz, responsible for one of the US’s worst school shootings, cut a pathetic figure in court, where his defence lawyer Melissa McNeil described him as a “broken human being”. |
| Questions have been raised as to how he was able to commit the atrocity, after classmates painted a picture of an outcast who “everyone predicted” would “do something”. | Questions have been raised as to how he was able to commit the atrocity, after classmates painted a picture of an outcast who “everyone predicted” would “do something”. |
| Cruz himself appears to have presaged the attack. A comment left below a YouTube video by someone using the name Nikolas Cruz warned: “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.” | Cruz himself appears to have presaged the attack. A comment left below a YouTube video by someone using the name Nikolas Cruz warned: “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.” |
| The comment was flagged to the FBI last September but law enforcement officials were unable to identify the poster and the agency says it still has not conclusively linked the account to Cruz. | The comment was flagged to the FBI last September but law enforcement officials were unable to identify the poster and the agency says it still has not conclusively linked the account to Cruz. |
| Many other disturbing posts were made by someone under the same name. CNN reported that other comments he posted included “I whana [sic] shoot people with my AR-15 [the gun used in the killing spree]”, and “I wanna die Fighting killing shit ton [sic] of people”. An Instagram account associated with the same name included photos of firearms. “Nikolas Cruz” is also said to have insulted Muslims and black people online. | Many other disturbing posts were made by someone under the same name. CNN reported that other comments he posted included “I whana [sic] shoot people with my AR-15 [the gun used in the killing spree]”, and “I wanna die Fighting killing shit ton [sic] of people”. An Instagram account associated with the same name included photos of firearms. “Nikolas Cruz” is also said to have insulted Muslims and black people online. |
| The worrying behaviour was not limited to what appears to be Cruz’s social media footprint. The teenager had disciplinary issues at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, which saw him expelled. Florida media reported that teachers were worried about Cruz and that he was not allowed on campus with a backpack, while fellow pupils were wary of him. | The worrying behaviour was not limited to what appears to be Cruz’s social media footprint. The teenager had disciplinary issues at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, which saw him expelled. Florida media reported that teachers were worried about Cruz and that he was not allowed on campus with a backpack, while fellow pupils were wary of him. |
| There have been eight shootings at US schools this year that resulted in injury or death, including 17 dead on Wednesday. In December, the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting, in which 20 children and six teachers died, was marked by congressional Republicans seeking to weaken restrictions and make it easier to carry a concealed weapon across state lines. Donald Trump promised to support the National Rifle Association (NRA) and oppose limits to gun ownership. | There have been eight shootings at US schools this year that resulted in injury or death, including 17 dead on Wednesday. In December, the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting, in which 20 children and six teachers died, was marked by congressional Republicans seeking to weaken restrictions and make it easier to carry a concealed weapon across state lines. Donald Trump promised to support the National Rifle Association (NRA) and oppose limits to gun ownership. |
| 97 children have been killed and 126 injured in mass shootings in schools since 1989. These are the three worst incidents: | 97 children have been killed and 126 injured in mass shootings in schools since 1989. These are the three worst incidents: |
| 14 February 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida | 14 February 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida |
| 14 December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary, Connecticut | 14 December 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary, Connecticut |
| 20 April 1999 Columbine High School, Colorado | 20 April 1999 Columbine High School, Colorado |
| In 2017, the NRA spent at least $4.1m on lobbying. In the 2016 US elections, it spent $14.4m supporting 44 candidates who won, and $34.4m opposing 19 who lost, according to CRP. But “the real source of its power comes from voters”, said Adam Winkler, a UCLA professor of constitutional law. The 145-year-old organisation claims 5 million active members and Prof Robert Spitzer of the State University of New York at Cortland said it has “a very powerful ability to mobilise a grassroots support ”. | In 2017, the NRA spent at least $4.1m on lobbying. In the 2016 US elections, it spent $14.4m supporting 44 candidates who won, and $34.4m opposing 19 who lost, according to CRP. But “the real source of its power comes from voters”, said Adam Winkler, a UCLA professor of constitutional law. The 145-year-old organisation claims 5 million active members and Prof Robert Spitzer of the State University of New York at Cortland said it has “a very powerful ability to mobilise a grassroots support ”. |
| 79%: Proportion of Americans who favour banning assault-style weapons, according to a recent poll | 79%: Proportion of Americans who favour banning assault-style weapons, according to a recent poll |
| 84%: Democratic voters who said that gun laws should be ‘a lot’ or ‘somewhat’ stricter than at present | 84%: Democratic voters who said that gun laws should be ‘a lot’ or ‘somewhat’ stricter than at present |
| 72%: Republican voters who agreed that ‘the benefits of gun ownership outweigh the risks’ | 72%: Republican voters who agreed that ‘the benefits of gun ownership outweigh the risks’ |
| Dakota Mutchler, a 17-year-old junior at the school and a former friend, said Cruz started “progressively getting a little more weird, and I kind of cut off from him”. Mutchler said he 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, said Cruz started “progressively getting a little more weird, and I kind of cut off from him”. Mutchler said he posted about killing animals on social media and talked about guns and target practice. |
| “Everyone in the school that knew him speculated about him,” she said. | “Everyone in the school that knew him speculated about him,” she said. |
| Victoria Olvera, also 17, said: “He just changed. As far as I knew, he was like a future school shooter.” Another student told CNN: “A lot of people were saying that it was going to be him. 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 relative said, and moved in with another 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 relative said, and moved in with another 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. |
| In many ways he seems to have fitted the stereotype of people often associated with carrying out such mass shootings – a loner with a troubled background. | |
| The chief assistant public defender, Gordon Weekes, said Cruz has a “significant” history of mental illness and possibly has autistm or a learning disability, which will renew debate about the ability of people with mental health problems to purchase firearms. | The chief assistant public defender, Gordon Weekes, said Cruz has a “significant” history of mental illness and possibly has autistm or a learning disability, which will renew debate about the ability of people with mental health problems to purchase firearms. |
| But in the short term the biggest question may surround the FBI’s response to the tipoff about Cruz’s YouTube post. | But in the short term the biggest question may surround the FBI’s response to the tipoff about Cruz’s YouTube post. |
| Agents interviewed the man who reported the comment and searched public records databases, actions in line with the lowest level FBI assessment, but came up short. | Agents interviewed the man who reported the comment and searched public records databases, actions in line with the lowest level FBI assessment, but came up short. |
| The retired FBI assistant director Ron Hosko told the Associated Press: “They owe us some more detail on what they did.” However, he cautioned: “They could spend their entire workforce tracking down internet exchanges that are never going to go anywhere.” | The retired FBI assistant director Ron Hosko told the Associated Press: “They owe us some more detail on what they did.” However, he cautioned: “They could spend their entire workforce tracking down internet exchanges that are never going to go anywhere.” |
| Agents receive tens of thousands of tips each year and more than 10,000 assessments are opened on potentially viable threats. | Agents receive tens of thousands of tips each year and more than 10,000 assessments are opened on potentially viable threats. |
| The statistics provide some explanation as to how Cruz may have slipped through the net but will provide little comfort to those in mourning. | The statistics provide some explanation as to how Cruz may have slipped through the net but will provide little comfort to those in mourning. |
| Florida school shooting | Florida school shooting |
| Florida | Florida |
| US gun control | US gun control |
| Gun crime | Gun crime |
| news | news |
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