FBI FAILED
Ignored warnings about Fla. mass killer
Six weeks before he walked into a Florida high school and murdered 17 people, the FBI was specifically warned that Nikolas Cruz, 19, had a “desire to kill people, erratic behavior and disturbing social media posts,” and there was “potential of him conducting a school shooting.” But the feds never passed the information to the local office for investigation, and Cruz carried out the slaughter with an AR-15.
They saw something, they said something, and the FBI did . . . nothing.
The FBI was warned last month that teen gun nut Nikolas Cruz was a potential school shooter — but it didn’t bother investigating before he allegedly slaughtered 17 people at a Florida high school this week, the agency admitted in a stunning mea culpa Friday.
The revelation came as Cruz’s lawyers said they have already offered the state a guilty plea in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table for their 19year-old client, although there was no indication whether prosecutors would even consider the deal, WPLG-TV reported.
The developments drew outrage from the shattered Broward County community.
“The FBI really blew this big time,” said resident Melanie Goldstein, 58, a family friend of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland. “Ugh. I am so disgusted.” A “person close to” Cruz had called the agency’s tip line on Jan. 5 and reported that the teen was armed, had a “desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social-media posts” — and that there was “potential of him conducting a school shooting,” the FBI revealed.
But the agency failed to pass on any of that information to its Miami field office — or anyone else — even though its protocols say the alarming details “should have been assessed as a potential threat to life.”
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately ordered a probe into what went wrong, while Florida Gov. Rick Scott called for FBI Director Christopher Wray’s head.
“We constantly promote ‘see something, say something,’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act,” Scott said. “The FBI director needs to resign.”
Cruz may have already been on another law-enforcement group’s radar, too.
Broward County Sheriff ’s deputies had been called to his family home 39 times since 2010 amid reports of a “mentally ill person” and “domestic disturbance,” according to reports obtained by CNN.
The Sheriff ’s Office “knew there was a problem,” a neighbor, Rhonda Roxburgh, 45, told the Miami Herald, recalling “dozens” of police visits.
Other missed red flags emerged Friday as more of Cruz’s history was uncovered.
The troubled teen bought the AR-15 rifle used in the massacre three days after he was kicked out of Douglas HS last year — and after the school recommended conducting a “threat assessment” on him, WPLG reported.
He was transferred out of the school on Feb. 8, 2017, following an assault several weeks earlier, according to disciplinary records obtained by the TV station.
That was three days before Cruz bought a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 .223 at nearby Sunrise Tactical Supply on Feb. 11, the store’s lawyer said Friday.
It wasn’t clear what the result of the school board’s assessment was — or if one was conducted at all. Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie has said the district had “no warning” about Cruz.
But the records show Cruz had serious disciplinary problems since at least 2012, while he was attending Westglades Middle School in Parkland.
He faced disciplinary action 25 times over about 16 months, including for violent acts that led to suspensions, parent conferences and referrals for family counseling, according to WPLG.
Before he got booted from Douglas, Cruz was a member of the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps — and a star on the school’s varsity marksmanship team.
“He was a very good shot,” said Aaron Diener, 20, who gave Cruz rides to shooting competitions when they were part of the same four-member team in 2016. “He had an AR-15 he talked about, and pistols.”
The team that year was funded at least in part by a $10,827 grant from the National Rifle Association, records show.
In September 2016, Cruz cut himself in a Snapchat video, prompting an investigation. It was determined he was receiving adequate support from outpatient mental-health care, the Sun Sentinel reported.
Video surfaced late Thursday showing Cruz firing a weapon in his yard last October — while wearing only boxer shorts, socks and a hat bearing President Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
In November, his adoptive mom died, and he moved in with neighbor Rocxanne Deschamps.
Deschamps wrote on her Facebook page that she quickly clashed with the teen because “he bought a gun and wanted to bring it into my house,” the Daily Mail reported. “I got him to go live with a friend of his.”
The family who then took Cruz in refused to speak about the teen, while their lawyer said they hadn’t noticed anything suspicious about him.
“I have no comment,” Kimberly Snead, eyes swollen and cheeks flush, told The Post outside her home. “Please respect my family and my privacy now.”