GUILTY FL - 17 killed in Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Parkland, 14 Feb 2018 #4 *Arrest*

[YESorNO]

Fate of Broward sheriff sparks fiery hearing

Jun 19 2019

"TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (NSF) - In his quest to get his old job back, Scott Israel spent hours jousting with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ lawyer Wednesday in a series of combative exchanges highlighting two deadly mass shootings in Broward County that led to the former sheriff’s suspension.

Israel’s seven hours of testimony Wednesday concluded a two-day hearing before a Senate special master in an appeal filed by the veteran law enforcement official after DeSantis stripped him of the sheriff’s post shortly after the Republican governor took office in January....

After spending hours Tuesday answering questions from his lawyer, Benedict Kuehne, Israel on Wednesday dueled with DeSantis’ deputy general counsel, Nicholas Primrose, who repeatedly linked the fatal incidents to what he described as Israel’s failure to adequately train deputies, a position Israel staunchly disputed.

Primrose, who did not call any witnesses, concentrated more than half of his time grilling Israel on the airport shooting, before turning to last year’s horrific school massacre...

After reading a state law that says sheriffs are responsible for the “neglect and default” of their deputies, Primrose tried to get Israel to take the blame for Peterson’s behavior, saying that six lives could have been saved if the resource office had gone into the building.

But Israel didn’t bite.

“The only person, the only person responsible for the loss of lives is a horrific, evil killer that did things through sheer evil. The responsibility of taking human life, only the killer did that,” he said."

Fate of Broward sheriff sparks fiery hearing

 

[YESorNO]

Parkland school shooting survivors say they're suffering from PTSD (with clip)

JUNE 19, 2019

"Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Emely Vazquez says she was a carefree happy girl prior to Februrary 14, 2018. "Before this, I was in the happiest place I could ever be," Vazquez told CBS Miami. "I was extremely happy."
Then came the tragedy that killed 17, wounded 17 more and left hundreds, like Vazquez, scarred for life.

"It got very depressing," she said.

Vazquez is one of eight MSD students who were in the Freshman Building that day who are suing the Broward School District and Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) claiming they suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the fear and violence they encountered.

They allege in the lawsuit that BSO and Broward Schools didn't do enough to protect the campus, deal with confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz prior to the shooting or confront him during the attack....."

Parkland school shooting survivors say they're suffering from PTSD

 

[YESorNO]

Scott Israel grilled on Parkland attack as he wraps testimony at suspension appeal hearing
“I’m responsible for all the actions and inaction of every member of the agency.”

June 20, 2019

"Scott Israel spent seven hours in the witness chair Wednesday, as the suspended Broward Sheriff argues to be reinstated as head of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO).

That follows a 90-minute block of testimony from Israel on Tuesday. Former lawmaker Dudley Goodlette is overseeing the hearing as special master.

Goodlette was assigned by Senate President Bill Galvano to preside over the proceedings and ultimately issue a recommendation to the Senate. That body will determine whether to terminate Israel or reinstate him as Sheriff.
Goodlette’s report is not expected until at least August...."

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/299220-israel-parkland-testimony-suspension-hearing

 

[SeesSeas]

Pulse, Parkland shootings: Why was 1 cop called hero, the other arrested?
Pulse, Parkland shootings: Why was 1 cop called hero, the other arrested?
ORLANDO SENTINEL | JUN 06, 2019 | 4:33 PM
When Orlando police Officer Adam Gruler saw a shooter at the gay nightclub Pulse three years ago, he fired his handgun at him but did not pursue him inside, even as the gunman blasted a dance floor full of club-goers with bullets from a high-powered rifle, killing 49.

Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson made a similar choice last year when he stayed outside of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a gunman rampaged through the campus, killing 17 people.

Gruler was hailed as a hero by local officials and attended the State of the Union address as an honored guest. In South Florida, Peterson was fired and arrested Tuesday for not acting to protect children.

Christine Leinonen, who lost her only son Christopher “Drew" Leinonen at Pulse, said she thinks both Gruler and Peterson are “cowards."
[...]
A 'pound of flesh’?
Legal experts agree the child neglect and culpable negligence charges against Peterson will be hard to prove because prosecutors will have to make the unusual argument that the school security officer meets the definition of a caregiver for the students under state law.

Orlando criminal defense lawyer Richard Hornsby said the case is uncharted territory that could open the door to criminal charges any time a public official makes a decision that ultimately results in injury to a child.

“If the prosecution is successful, any time a public official, principal, school resource officer, DCF worker makes any decision that results in injury to a child they can be prosecuted for child neglect,” Hornsby said. “That’s not the intent of the statue.”

It also contradicts U.S. Supreme Court rulings that police officers don’t have to risk their lives to save somebody else, Hornsby said.

“I think Peterson is a political scapegoat to give parents a pound of flesh,” he said. “I think it’s because people consider his actions to be cowardly and borderline criminal but the problem is just because something might be morally reprehensible, doesn’t necessarily make it a crime.”

Eugene O’Donnell, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and a former police officer and prosecutor, called the case against Peterson “absolutely outrageous.”

“Police are civilians with guns with very basic training and have proven time and time again that their skills are not very reliable with firearms," he said. “The notion that American police, with some exceptions, have the capacity to turn into commandos in the middle of a mass casualty killing is not bordered by reality.”
[...]

 

[SeesSeas]

Two more deputies fired as sheriff wraps up Parkland shooting investigation
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL | JUN 26, 2019 | 12:53 PM
Two more Broward sheriff’s deputies have been fired for their failure to confront the killer during the Parkland school shooting on Valentine’s Day 2018.

Seventeen months after the slaughter, Sheriff Gregory Tony on Wednesday announced the terminations of Edward Eason and Joshua Stambaugh. The findings came from a 124-page Internal Affairs investigation in a bloodbath rife with missed tips, failed radios, delayed surveillance video and ineffective deputies who hid from the gunman rather than try to stop him.

“After we take [into account] that totality of facts it became clear to me and our command staff that this was neglect of duty,” Tony said. “It was the most severe [of] consequences as we lost 17 people.”
[...]

Read the Broward sheriff’s full internal report on the Parkland school shooting
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL | JUN 26, 2019 | 10:53 AM
Broward sheriff Gregory Tony released his department’s Internal Affairs report on the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

The investigation led to the firing of two more deputies who were among the first on the scene at the school for what the report called neglect of duty and failing to meet standards of the department.

The report also details problems with communications and school surveillance systems.

Read the full report below.
[...]

 

[YESorNO]

Four deputies fired amid Parkland shooting investigation (with clip)

June 26th 2019

"PARKLAND, Fla. (CBS12) — Four deputies from the Broward Sheriff's Office have been fired as a result of the internal affairs investigation into the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony made the announcement during a news conference Wednesday morning....

In the aftermath of Parkland, Gov. DeSantis suspended Scott Israel. Former school resource officer deputy Scot Peterson is facing eleven criminal charges, including seven counts of child neglect as investigators said he didn't engage the attacker. Peterson is among the four deputies fired by the sheriff's office. Two of the firings happened on Tuesday.

The others are Sgt. Brian Miller, Depupty Joshua Stambaugh and Deputy Edward Eason.

Three additional deputies faced investigations but they've been cleared. They are Deputy Brian Goolsby, Deputy Arthur Perry,and Deputy Michael Kratz...."

Four deputies fired amid Parkland shooting investigation

 

[YESorNO]

Parkland school shooting victim's parents file lawsuit against USA
Parents of Carmen Schentrup claim FBI ignored tip about Nikolas Cruz

June 28, 2019

"MIAMI - The parents of a Parkland school shooting victim are suing the United States government, claiming the FBI ignored a tip that Nikolas Cruz was "going to slip into a school and start shooting up the place."

Philip and April Schentrup, the parents of Carmen Schentrup, filed the 34-page federal lawsuit Friday.

The complaint alleges a woman who knew the Parkland school shooter submitted the tip to the FBI in January 2018, a little more than a month before the Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead...."

Parkland school shooting victim's parents file lawsuit against USA

Federal lawsuit

https://media.local10.com/document_dev/2019/06/28/Schentrup vs USA_1561756579886_22039204_ver1.0.pdf

 

[YESorNO]

Sheriff removed after Parkland shooting running for old job

July 1, 2019

"FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida sheriff who was removed by the governor from his elected office after a school shooting that left 17 people dead is running for his old job in 2020.

Former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel filed paperwork Monday stating his intention to run in the August 2020 Democratic primary...."

Sheriff removed after Parkland shooting running for old job

 

[SeesSeas]

Florida’s largest sheriff’s office loses accreditation after Parkland shooting
After chaotic handling of Parkland, airport mass shootings, BSO loses its accreditation
Broward County Sheriff's Office loses accreditation after school massacre, Florida airport shooting: report

Sheriff's office loses accreditation after Parkland shooting
Sheriff’s office loses accreditation after Parkland shooting
July 1, 2019

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s largest sheriff’s office has lost its law enforcement accreditation after criticism over its handling of fatal shootings at a high school and airport.

The Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation voted 13-0 last week not to renew the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s accreditation. Commission members include law enforcement and other local officials from across Florida.

They cited the agency’s handling of last year’s Parkland shooting and a 2017 shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport as reasons for the decision.
[...]

 

[YESorNO]

Florida school shooting prosecutor not seeking re-election

Jun 04 2019

"FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - The chief prosecutor in the Florida school shooting case says he is not seeking re-election in 2020 after more than four decades in office.

Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz said in a news release Tuesday that he wants to focus on the case against Parkland shooting defendant Nikolas Cruz rather than campaign for a 12th term.

Satz is personally handling the prosecution of 20-year-old Cruz, who faces the death penalty if convicted 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The trial is set to begin in January...."

Florida school shooting prosecutor not seeking re-election

 

[YESorNO]

Mental illness and threatening messages often come before mass-casualty attacks, Secret Service finds

July 9, 2019

"ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Two-thirds of suspects in mass casualty attacks in the United States suffered from some form of mental illness, and nearly all of them engaged in threatening or suspicious communications beforehand, the Secret Service concluded in an analysis Tuesday.

The analysis covered 27 attacks in 2018 that left 91 people dead and 107 injured at office buildings, schools, a synagogue another other prominent public spaces, scattered from a sidewalk in Portland, Oregon to a high school Parkland, Florida.

The Secret Service identified 28 such attacks in 2017.

Federal investigators found that 67% of suspects displayed symptoms of mental illness or emotional disturbance, up slightly from last year's 64%. In at least 93% of last year's incidents, authorities found that the suspects had a history of threats or other troubling communications, up from 86% in 2017.

And in more than three-quarters of all cases – 78% – suspicious communications elicited concerns for the safety the attackers or others.

"Because these acts are usually planned over a period of time, and the attackers often elicit concern from the people around them, there exists an opportunity to stop these incidents before they occur," the report concluded....

The 2018 Parkland high school attack, which reinvigorated a national debate on gun safety, stands as perhaps the most chilling of the cases in which others called attention to the troubled gunman before he struck.

Social workers, mental health counselors, school administrators and law enforcement all had been warned about Nikolas Cruz's deteriorating mental state and risk of violence before he launched the attack that killed 17 and injured 17 others.

About a month before the attack, the FBI received a tip about Cruz and his "desire to kill people," but the information was never forwarded for investigation, the bureau later confirmed...."

Mental illness and threatening messages often come before mass-casualty attacks, Secret Service finds

 

[YESorNO]

Nikolas Cruz due in Broward County court for Parkland school shooting

Jul 17, 2019

"...A status hearing is set Wednesday for 20-year-old Cruz, who faces the death penalty if convicted. A likely topic is whether the case is moving toward a planned early 2020 trial date...."

Cruz due in Broward court for Parkland school shooting

 

[YESorNO]

Nikolas Cruz trial expected to begin next January (with clip)
Cruz seeks to be waived from appearing at future hearings

July 17, 2019

"FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Nikolas Cruz was back in court Wednesday for a status hearing in the 2018 school shooting that left 17 people dead.

Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer questioned Cruz in court after one of his attorneys asked that he be waived from appearing at certain hearings, saying the defense is willing to file a motion each time a hearing is scheduled to determine whether their client has to appear.

Cruz said "yes" when the judge asked him if he knew what waiving his court appearances meant and if he had spoken about it beforehand with his attorneys.

Scherer agreed to not have Cruz appear for an upcoming hearing in September.

During the status hearing, Scherer also made it known that she wants Cruz's trial to begin in early January 2020. The defense said it will try to be ready by that time, while the state said it will be ready...."

Nikolas Cruz trial expected to begin next January

 

[YESorNO]

Judge sets tentative trial date for Nikolas Cruz (with clip)

Jul 18, 2019

"TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A tentative date of January 2020 has been set for the trial of suspected Parkland school shooter, Nikolas Cruz.

Judge Elizabeth Scherer is overseeing the case and said she wants his high-profile trial to start on Jan. 20, 2020..."

Judge sets tentative trial date for Nikolas Cruz

 

[YESorNO]

Scot Peterson’s lawyer asks judge to dismiss charges in Stoneman Douglas negligence case

JUL 19, 2019

"Prosecutors charged former Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson with child neglect because they wished his inaction during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre was illegal, not because it actually was, his lawyer argued in court papers filed this week.

Fort Lauderdale defense lawyer Joseph DiRuzzo, in a 38-page motion to dismiss the criminal case against Peterson, said Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz was the only person responsible for the deaths of 17 people and the injuries of 17 more.

The charges against Peterson were filed in early June. Peterson faces six counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury. DiRuzzo said they should all be dismissed....

Peterson was subjected to public criticism and ridicule in the days following the killings at Stoneman Douglas.

While Cruz was inside the school shooting and killing, Peterson took cover outside, retreating “to an area of safety,” according to the Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, which investigated the law enforcement response to the shooting...."

Scot Peterson’s lawyer asks judge to dismiss charges in Stoneman Douglas negligence case
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Defense motion to dismiss charges against Scot Peterson

http://www.trbas.com/media/media/acrobat/2019-07/117148642-19152315.pdf#nt=interstitial-manual

 

[YESorNO]

Read the Document: Grand Jury Finds 'Troubling' Conflicts After Parkland School Shooting
A statewide grand jury investigating conduct from public officials surrounding the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting has filed its first interim report.

July 23, 2019

"A statewide grand jury looking into compliance with safety measures surrounding the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School said in their first interim report they were unpersuaded by testimony from the Department of Education, school district officials and police.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis asked the Florida Supreme Court to impanel the grand jury in February, backed by several parents and relatives of victims of the mass shooting at the school in Parkland, Florida. The directive followed concerns the school district wasn’t complying with mandatory measures aimed at protecting students.

“It appears that at least some of these officials have failed—or refused—to accept their responsibility for school safety,” the report said.

The grand jury found officials blamed shortcomings on administrative hurdles, increased costs and staff shortages....

Read the Document: Grand Jury Finds 'Troubling' Conflicts After Parkland School Shooting | Daily Business Review
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FIRST INTERIM REPORT OF THE TWENTIEm STATEWIDE GRAND JURY
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

July 19, 2019

2019-240_miscdoc_354296_e20.pdf

 

[YESorNO]

Parkland school gunman was searched every morning at Stoneman Douglas

JUL 26, 2019

"The former student who later shot up Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was such a threat in school that he was searched every morning for weapons, new testimony shows.

The extraordinary measure followed an earlier decision to bar Nikolas Cruz from taking a backpack to campus after he talked of suicide and wrote “kill” in a notebook.

The search procedure was revealed in a sworn deposition from Kelvin Greenleaf, the security guard who searched Cruz. The South Florida Sun Sentinel obtained a copy of the deposition this week.

"Never found a weapon on him,” Greenleaf explained in the testimony July 11. “I think we got concerned when, I think, we found out he drank bleach, tried to hurt himself or something like that, the kid. That’s when we started, like, having the kid come in every morning to be searched by me, but never found a weapon on the kid, never.”

Administrators forced Cruz to withdraw from Stoneman Douglas within six months — in February 2017.

He walked onto the Parkland campus a year later and fatally shot 14 students and three educators with an assault-style rifle. He’s facing the death penalty....

The deposition was taken as part of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of one of the dead children, Meadow Pollack. Greenleaf is not a defendant but was a key witness because of his familiarity with Cruz and his role as a lead security specialist.

His surprising testimony shows the school recognized the extreme danger the gun-obsessed, mentally disturbed youth posed...."

Parkland school gunman was searched every morning at Stoneman Douglas

 

[YESorNO]

Teen with same name as Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz wants to change it

August 2, 2019

"SUNRISE, Fla. — A Florida teenager wants to change his name because he shares it with the defendant charged in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.

The mother of Nikolas Marciel Cruz told the South Florida Sun Sentinel her 18-year-old son got tired of being confused with Nikolas Jacob Cruz, the 20-year-old accused of killing 17 people.

Ivonne Moran said reporters called their house after the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting thinking her son was the killer — they live in Sunrise, which neighbors Parkland where Stoneman Douglas is located. She kept her son out of his school the day after the shooting, fearing how other students and parents would react.

The final straw came when a man recoiled, pulled back his hand and exclaimed “Oh my god!” after Nikolas introduced himself. He has applied with the courts to change his name to Nikolas Rene Moran. He should have a hearing before a judge within 90 days...."

https://nypost.com/2019/08/02/teen-...land-shooter-nikolas-cruz-wants-to-change-it/
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[YESorNO]

Florida Appeals Court Rejects Confessed Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Arguments On Jail Visitor Logs (with clip)

August 14, 2019

"FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/NSF) – A South Florida appeals court Wednesday rejected an attempt by accused Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz to prevent disclosure of the names of mental-health experts who visit him in jail as part of his defense....

His attorneys sought a protective order to prevent the disclosure of information on jail-visitation logs that would detail the names of mental-health experts who meet with him. In part, Cruz’s attorneys argued that the experts’ names were covered by attorney-client privilege and that disclosure of the names could damage his right to a fair trial, according to Wednesday’s ruling by a panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal.

The state and the Sun Sentinel newspaper opposed the request by Cruz’s attorneys, and a Broward County circuit judge denied the protective order.

The appeals court Wednesday upheld the circuit-court decision.

“In sum, we conclude that petitioner (Cruz) failed to demonstrate that the trial court departed from the essential requirements of law in denying his motion for protective order,” said the seven-page ruling, written by appeals-court Judge Martha Warner and joined by judges Robert Gross and Melanie May. “The Constitution and the public records act do not authorize redacting the names of the experts visiting petitioner in jail. If public policy demands that these be kept confidential, it is for the Legislature to provide an exemption by statute.”"

Florida Appeals Court Rejects Confessed Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Arguments On Jail Visitor Logs

 

[YESorNO]

Parkland school shooting documentary set for Woodstock Film Festival

Aug. 26, 2019

"A documentary about students who survived the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting, produced by Katie Couric and will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, will make its world premiere at the Woodstock Film Festival in October.

“Parkland Rising” follows Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students and their families in the wake of the Valentine's Day 2018 shooting that left 17 students and faculty dead. The film focuses on how the survivors and their families pushed for gun control following the tragedy.

Directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Cheryl Horner McDonough, “Parkland Rising” will make its world premiere Oct. 4 at the Woodstock Playhouse. A second screening will be held Oct. 5...."

Parkland school shooting documentary set for Woodstock Film Festival