The aftermath of Fla. school shooting
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump came face-to-face Friday with hospitalized victims from Wednesday’s school shooting in Florida and offered thanks to the doctors and nurses who helped the wounded, declaring “the job they’ve done is incredible.”
Asked if he had talked with victims, Mr. Trump said: “I did indeed, and it’s very sad something like that could happen.”
Mr. Trump and first lady Melania Trump went to Broward Health North Hospital to praise the medical professionals who had responded to the shooting in nearby Parkland. They planned to meet with law enforcement officials at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office later Friday.
But some of the parents, survivors and others affected by the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were more interested in action to prevent future assaults than a presidential visit.
“I don’t want Trump to come, but we want more gun safety,” said 18-year-old Kevin Trejos, a senior at the school where 17 people were killed and 14 injured.
Mr. Trump marveled at the speed with which firstresponders got victims to the hospital — but ignored shouted questions about whether guns should be more tightly regulated.
Guilty plea is likely
Defense attorneys for accused Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, 19, plan to meet with prosecutors and offer a guilty plea in exchange for life in prison, Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said Friday.
“There is only one question: Should this young man live or should he die by execution?” he said. “We believe it’s in nobody’s best interest to go through a circus of a trial.”
Though Broward County state prosecutors have not yet formally charged him, defense lawyers said they were certain that the Broward State Attorney’s Office would seek the death penalty. In Florida, a 12-0 jury vote is required to sentence a convicted defendant to death.
School likely to be razed
Officials say the Florida school where the deadly shooting took place is likely to be torn down.
Broward County school officials have had preliminary discussions with top legislators about the idea of tearing down the three-story building and putting a memorial on the site. A new building would be built elsewhere on the school campus.
Broward Schools superintendent Robert Runcie told local media outlets that the school building where the shooting took place should never be reopened.
A spike in threats
Tensions were so high at schools in Miami-Dade on Friday that officials organized robo calls to parents after dealing with more than 50 violent threats on social media in less than a day.
The robo calls emphasized that there will be legal and disciplinary consequences for students that initiate a threat.
“[Miami-Dade County Public Schools] is reminding the public and students that a written threat to kill or harm is a felony, will not be tolerated and perpetrators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said schools spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez-Diego in a statement Friday.
Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Ian A. Moffett told the Miami Herald the department usually receives about one threat a week. After the mass shooting, threats skyrocketed to more than 50 in one day.
NRA made Cruz a marksman
Nikolas Cruz excelled in an air-rifle marksmanship program supported by a grant from the National Rifle Association Foundation. It was part of a multimilliondollar effort by the pro-gun group to support youth shooting clubs.
The student was wearing a shirt with the logo of the Army Junior ROTC program when he was arrested Wednesday.
The cadets used air rifles made especially for target shooting. The JROTC program at the school received $10,827 in non-cash assistance from the NRA’s foundation while he was there.
The NRA declined to comment. The foundation gave nearly $2.2 million to schools in 2016.
Students hold walkout
A group of high schoolers at a neighboring school Friday walked out of classes to protest gun violence.
The South Broward High School students began their protest along U.S. 1 in Hollywood as school started Friday morning. Students told news outlets they were protesting gun violence, the NRA and President Donald Trump. One sign also took aim at Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, showing him with $$ for eyes and accusing him of taking $3 million in NRA blood money.