THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Defense attorneys for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz 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 Cruz, the defense lawyers said they were certain that the Broward State Attorney’s Office would seek the death penalty.
Trump heads to Broward hospital: President Donald Trump went to Broward Health North hospital in Deerfield Beach, where victims shooting remained hospitalized Friday night.
After visiting patients, the president, joined by first lady Melania Trump and Dr. Igor Nichiporenko, spoke briefly to reporters.
“The job they’ve done is incredible and I want to congratulate you,” Trump said as he shook the doctor’s hand. “It’s sad something like that could happen.”
He said he was impressed by the speed with which first responders reacted, calling it “record-setting” and “in one case 20 minutes.”
He did not respond when asked whether the nation’s gun laws need to be changed, then walked into another room. 21A
Killer was known to law enforcement: About 20 calls about Cruz had come to the Broward Sheriff ’s Office over the past few years, Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference Friday afternoon.
The sheriff provided no details on the calls, saying some may have resulted in the dispatch of a deputy, others not. But he said the department will investigate what happened.
“Every one of these calls for service will be looked at and scrutinized,” he said. “If we find out that one of our deputies or call takers could have done something better, or was remiss, I’ll handle it accordingly.” School building might be demolished: The three-story freshman building that was the site of the massacre will be torn down if the school district and the Legislature approve the money, Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said Friday.
“Parents and students have resoundingly told me they can’t go back into that building regardless of what we do,” Runcie said. “The other piece I heard is that that building will be used as evidence in any type of legal process that goes forward, so we won’t be able to access the building for a while, anyway.”
Runcie said the district also plans to erect a memorial around the site of the current building. 19A
Two laid to rest: Alyssa Alhadeff was warmly remembered by her family, friends and the community. About 400 people attended her funeral and burial at Star of David Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Funeral Chapel in North Lauderdale on Friday. The 14-year-old Stoneman Douglas High School student was described as a go-getter and a great soccer player.
Family and friends remembered Meadow Jade Pollack as a princess whose smile lit up the room. They were angry with the cruelty of the 18-year-old’s deat. “You killed my kid,” her father, Andrew Pollack, told the congregation at the funeral. “‘My kid is dead’ goes through my head all day and all night. I keep hearing it over and over.”