[Breaking news update, published at 11:27 a.m. ET]
Parkland, Florida, school shooter Nikolas Cruz obtained at least 10 firearms, all of them rifles, a law enforcement source briefed on the investigation said. Investigators are still trying to track the purchases, which Cruz appears to have made in the past year or so.
[Original story published at 9:29 a.m. ET]
The weekend didn’t make things any easier for students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School: Parents had to lay teen children to rest; the family who had taken in shooter Nikolas Cruz said they didn’t know they were living with a “monster;” and a tweet from President Donald Trump seemed to infuriate an already-angry student body.
The students promised action. They’re headed to Tallahassee, Florida, to speak to legislators about school safety and gun control this week, and they have school walkouts and a march scheduled in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Anthony Borges, 15, continued his recovery. He’s one of four patients who remain hospitalized after Wednesday’s massacre in Parkland, Florida. He was shot five times, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday, the teen remained in a bed, his face swollen and his body tethered to IV and oxygen tubes.
“Fortunately, he is recovering — but has a long road ahead with more surgeries needed,” according to a Broward County Sheriff’s Office Facebook post.
The photo showed Sheriff Scott Israel clasping Borges’ hand — a reminder of the brutal toll of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead.
Latest developments
Trump says FBI dropped ball because of Russia probe: A tweet alleging the nation’s top law enforcement agency missed many signals when it came to the school shooter upset students, who fired back on Twitter. One wrote, “17 of my classmates are gone. That’s 17 futures, 17 children, and 17 friends stolen. But you’re right, it always has to be about you. How silly of me to forget.”
Host family saw no clues: Kim and James Snead, who took in Cruz, said he seemed naive, but not violent. “We had this monster living under our roof and we didn’t know,” Kimberly Snead told the Sun-Sentinel newspaper. “We didn’t see this side of him.” The family also spoke to “Good Morning America” on Monday.
Funerals were held for several of the victims over the weekend: Among those being laid to rest this week is Alaina Petty, 14, and Luke Hoyer, 15, whose services will be held Monday morning, and Cara Loughran, 14, whose service is Tuesday. Loughran’s aunt, Lindsay Fontana, said on Facebook the day after the shooting that her niece was an “excellent student” who loved the beach. “While your thoughts are appreciated, I beg you to DO SOMETHING. This should not have happened to our niece.”
Students mobilize
In the aftermath of the shooting, many students who survived the bloodshed say they can no longer endure inaction. They’re demanding that state and federal lawmakers step up and do something.
They’re also coming for the National Rifle Association and any politician who takes money from the powerful gun lobby. The NRA did not return CNN’s call seeking comment.
In response to politicians who say it’s not the right time to discuss gun policy after such a tragedy, students have set a date to confront the issue.
“Here’s a time to talk about gun control: March 24. My message for the people in office is: You’re either with us or against us. We are losing our lives while the adults are playing around,” said junior Cameron Kasky.
Just days after surviving the ninth-deadliest shooting in modern US history, several students have given powerful speeches and compelling TV interviews, voicing their desire to break the continuous loop of massacres. Some have gone on social media, vocal about what they experienced and what action they want to see from those in power.
They plan to converge at the nation’s capital next month and have asked supporters who can’t make it to stage marches in their own communities, according to a mission statement for March For Our Lives.
“You are going to be seeing students in every single major city marching and we have our lives on the line here,” Kasky said.
This week, Parkland students are planning a trip to Tallahassee, during which they hope to have sit-downs with state legislators. About a hundred people, students and chaperones, are set to arrive at the Capitol on Wednesday.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School remains closed through Wednesday, and officials say they hope to reopen the doors by week’s end. It’s not clear when students will return.
The school district has also proposed tearing down the building where the shooting happened, Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said.
Trump tweet angers students
Students who survived the shooting laid into President Donald Trump after he seemed to blame the FBI’s failure to follow up on a report about the school shooter on the agency’s attention and resources on the Russia investigation.
On Saturday, Trump tweeted, “Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign – there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!”
The President’s tweet caused considerable outrage online, including among apparent survivors of the shooting. One wrote: “Oh my god. 17 OF MY CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS ARE GONE AND YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO MAKE THIS ABOUT RUSSIA???!! HAVE A DAMN HEART. You can keep all of your fake and meaningless ‘thoughts and prayers’.”
Several responses went viral, getting thousands of retweets. As of this writing, one of them had been retweeted more times than the President’s original message.
As the investigation continues, a review has been ordered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions into how a tip to the FBI about Cruz was missed and how the agency responds to indications of potential violence.
The FBI failed to act on a January 5 tip about “Cruz’s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting,” the agency said.
The proper protocols weren’t followed and the FBI’s Miami office was not notified, the agency said.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said the bureau is still investigating what happened.
A video blogger said he warned the FBI in September about a possible school shooting threat from a YouTube user with the same name as Cruz. The FBI did not find information to identify the person who posted the comment and no connection was made to South Florida, said Robert Lasky, FBI special agent in charge of the Miami division.
Cruz, who is facing charges of premeditated murder, is willing to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, according to the public defender’s office representing him. He is being held without bond in Broward County.
State Attorney Michael J. Satz said Saturday this “certainly is the type of case the death penalty was designed for,” but now is the time “to let the families grieve and bury their children and loved ones.”
Teenager arrested in social media threat
As the South Florida community grapples with the aftermath, a 15-year-old teenager was arrested Friday for posting a threat on Instagram to kill people at several Broward County schools.
The Lauderhill teenager appeared to be remorseful and claimed his post was a joke to scare his cousin, according to the Broward Sheriff’s office. He now faces one count of sending a written threat to kill, which is a felony.
Since the massacre in Parkland, there have been at least a dozen reports of other incidents involving a threat to a school or a weapon on campus throughout the country. In some of these events, the schools have closed or gone into lockdown.