The United States finds itself debating over gun laws, and once again in light of the most recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Nikolas Cruz, 19, confessed to taking an Uber to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at 2:19 in the afternoon on Valentine’s Day and using an AR-15 to murder 17 students and wound 14.
He had been expelled from the school a year prior.
He was taken into police custody and charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Police are just now uncovering what a troubling background he had.
Cruz moved in with his friend’s family a year ago after his adoptive parents died and he was reportedly depressed. CNN reports a former classmate said Cruz had shown him guns and other students were worried about him being violent.
Teachers were warned about Cruz who wasn’t allowed on the school’s campus with a backpack and is reported to have threatened students in the past. A classmate told USA TODAY that he was expelled because of a fight he had with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend and that he was abusive toward her.
Broward County Mayor Beam Furr said that the teen suffered from “mental health issues” and was “undergoing some treatment.”
School officials said he was expelled for disciplinary reasons but couldn’t elaborate. A fellow classmate said that Cruz told him that he was kicked out of two private schools and held back twice.
“He seemed like the kind of kid who would do something like this,” a former classmate said. “Everyone predicted it.
Washington Post reports that he was known to torture and kill animals, picked fights with other kids, vandalized property, stole mail, and would peek into people’s bedrooms. His neighbors were constantly calling the police on him.
His social media accounts were found to be disturbing. He was outwardly racist toward blacks and Muslims.
He said he would shoot people with his gun, including police and anti-fascist protestors. He also said that he was going to be a “professional school shooter.” The FBI received two prior reports about Cruz. He had also trained with a white supremacist group.
His Instagram posts showed photos of him with guns, knives, and dead animals and were described as “disturbing.”
He purchased the semiautomatic rifle last February at a gun store. He didn’t have a criminal record so he cleared an instant background check of the FBI criminal database.
Those who are adjudicated as a mentally defective or were committed to a mental institution are prohibited from possessing a firearm and since Cruz had not been he was legally allowed to carry a gun.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
