The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Governor calls for FBI chief to resign
Florida governor Rick Scott has called on FBI director Christopher Wray to resign after learning that the bureau failed to investigate a tip-off that the Florida school shooting suspect could be planning an attack.
Mr Scott sharply criticised the federal law enforcement agency, saying in a statement that the “FBI’S failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable”.
The FBI acknowledged it failed to act on a tip-off to its hotline that Nikolas Cruz had a “desire to kill”.
In a statement, Mr Scott said that “an apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life or comfort the families who are in pain.”
US senator Marco Rubio also criticised the FBI, saying it was “inexcusable” the bureau did not follow protocols. He said that Congress should launch its own investigations into what happened.
Earlier, it emerged a person close to Cruz called the FBI’S public tip-off line on January 5 and provided information about his guns and his erratic behaviour, including his expressed desire to kill people and his social media posts.
The caller was concerned that Cruz could attack a school.
The agency acknowledged that the tip-off should have been shared with the FBI’S Miami office and investigated, but it was not.
Mr Wray said he was “committed to getting to the bottom of what happened” as well as assessing the way the FBI responds to information from the public.
Mr Wray said: “We have spoken with victims and families and deeply regret the additional pain this causes all those affected by this horrific tragedy.”
Cruz has been charged with killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, north of Miami, on Wednesday.
Also yesterday, mourners gathered for the first funeral for a shooting victim, packing the Star of David chapel to remember 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff.
The shooting suspect excelled in an air-rifle marksmanship programme supported by a grant from the National Rifle Association Foundation.
It was part of a multi-million-dollar effort by the pro-gun group to support youth shooting clubs.