Couple who took Cruz in says he apologized to them

PARKLAND, Fla. — The couple who took in the Florida school shooting suspect after his mother died said he told them he was sorry after the shooting.

Speaking Monday on ABC’S “Good Morning America,” James and Kimberly Snead said they’ve only seen Nikolas Cruz once since the shooting that killed 17 when they briefly saw him at the police station.

Kimberly Snead said she yelled at him and “really wanted to strangle him more than anything.”

The Sneads also said the person who’s been shown to the world since the shooting isn’t the person they knew when he lived with them. They said Cruz was very polite and followed all their rules. dating to middle school. In February 2014, while in the eighth grade, he was transferred to a special school for children with emotional and behavioral issues. He stayed there until 10th grade, when he was transferred to Stoneman Douglas. Last year, Cruz was expelled.

The deadly shooting has put pressure on Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature to consider a sweeping package of gun-control laws in a state that has resisted restrictions on firearms for decades, lawmakers said Monday.

The legislative effort coalesced as 100 students from Stoneman Douglas prepared to ride buses more than 400 miles to the state capital Tuesday to urge lawmakers to act to prevent a repeat of the massacre.

Authorities in Florida say the high school in Parkland will remain closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

The statement issued by the Broward County Schools on Monday said “our hearts remain with the victims and families … as our community copes with the aftermath and recovery process from this senseless act of violence.”