Teen banned from having guns, ammo
Judge rules brother of Parkland shooter poses danger to himself.
FORT LAUDERDALE — Zachary Cruz, the brother of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School gunman Nikolas Cruz, has been temporarily banned from possessing either firearms or ammunition.
Broward County Judge Jack Tuter ruled Wednesday that Cruz, 18, poses “a significant danger of causing personal injury to himself ” if he were to have access to firearms. The order points out there is no evidence that Cruz owns a gun, but cited “reasonable cause” to believe Cruz might hurt himself if he obtains a firearm.
The case was one of the first times a state law passed last week in the wake of the Parkland shootings has been used to keep a person away from firearms and ammunition.
Cruz was arrested Monday afternoon after he was seen skateboarding at the Parkland campus of Douglas High where his brother confessed to killing 17 people and injuring 17 others during the Feb. 14 mass shooting.
Zachary Cruz was ordered held on $500,000 bond, an unusually high amount for the charge of trespassing on school grounds, a second-degree misdemeanor that typically results in a $25 bond.
In a court filing by the Broward County Sheriff ’s Office, the agency revealed that Cruz was at Douglas High twice on Mon-
day, entering the campus for the first time between 2 and 2:30 p.m. when classes were still in session.
According to the filing, Cruz walked around several parts of the campus, including the freshman building where his brother used an AR-15 rifle to gun down 14 students and three staff members. He also walked around the school’s amphitheater and courtyard, according to the document.
It was not clear from the filing how Zachary gained access to the campus, where security has increased since the shooting, and officials from the Broward sheriff ’s office did not return a call seeking comment.
Cruz returned to the school a second time at about 4:30 p.m. Monday, when he was arrested. He told deputies he visited the school “to reflect on the shooting and soak it all in.” Cruz also said he had been on campus a week before.
Broward County Judge Kim Theresa Mollica ruled Tuesday that authorities can search for weapons at the Lantana-area mobile home where Cruz was living with a family friend, Rocxanne Deschamps.
It’s unclear if the search, likely by the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office, has been carried out. There was no answer at the home either Wednesday or Thursday, and a neighbor said Thursday that police hadn’t been in the area for weeks. PBSO and other agencies searched the mobile home on the night of the mass shootings.
Tuter’s “extreme risk protection” order banning Cruz from possessing weapons or ammunition was made at the request of the Broward County Sheriff ’s Office and comes as a result of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, signed into law this month by Gov. Rick Scott.
Among other measures, the law allows law enforcement to take a person’s weapons if he or she is taken into custody to undergo an involuntary mental-health assessment.
Among the first people affected by the new state law was a 56-year-old Lighthouse Point man who on March 16 had four firearms and 267 rounds of ammunition ordered removed from his possession, and a 21-yearold University of Central Florida student who said he was gathering up the “courage” to shoot up the Orlando-area school.
The student, who allegedly said he idolized Nikolas Cruz and Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock, was ordered to turn over a revolver.
Zachary Cruz was involuntarily committed under the state’s Baker Act on Monday by the sheriff ’s office. In a court petition, the sheriff ’s office said he “has a history of mental-health issues.”
Tuter has set an April 3 court date to determine how long Cruz should be kept from possessing weapons. Tuter can ban him from owning firearms for up to one year under the law’s provisions. Cruz is expected to attend the hearing.
Tuter’s order states there is “reasonable fear” that Cruz could take part in future “dangerous acts.”
In its court filing, the sheriff ’s office stated that Cruz “has revealed a pattern of violent and combative behavior” during the past six years.
The sheriff ’s office listed several incidents, including one in August 2001 in which his mother complained to deputies that Cruz was hitting glass doors with pool equipment and turning over furniture. Cruz was 11 years old at the time.
Zachary Cruz was involuntarily committed under the state’s Baker Act on Monday by the sheriff’s office. In a court petition, the sheriff’s office said he ‘has a history of mentalhealth issues.’