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 in the wake of the massacre that left 17 of their classmates and teachers dead. 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.
Anthony helped protected his classmates, closing and locking a door to a classroom, according to a verified GoFundMe account that, as of late Monday morning, had raised almost 25 times its stated goal of $5,000. As Anthony blocked the door, Cruz fired through it, hitting Anthony in the back and in both legs, shattering his thigh bone, according to the account’s description.
Latest developments
Shooter to appear in court: Cruz is scheduled to make a Monday afternoon court appearance concerning the sealing of certain documents in his case.
Cruz had many rifles: The shooter obtained 10 rifles in the last year or so, according to a law enforcement source.
Cubs star speaks out: Marjory Stoneman Douglas alum and Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said during a news conference that he had visited kids in the hospital after the shooting. He also issued a call for change, saying, “No one right now feels comfortable on a daily basis sending their kid to school not knowing if they’re going to see them again.”
Host family saw no clues: Kim and James Snead, who took in Cruz after his adoptive mother died in November, tell “Good Morning America” that the shooter was polite and “seemed normal.” Despite reports of what authorities say was a “disturbing” social media footprint, James Snead said, “We knew he had one Instagram account … The other ones he had, we had no idea about.”
Funerals scheduled for this week: Among those being laid to rest this week are Alaina Petty, 14, and Luke Hoyer, 15, whose services were 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 on the issue of gun control. 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 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’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.
“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, announcing a March 24 demonstration in Washington.
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.
In Washington on Monday, teen demonstrators lay on the ground in front of the White House to symbolize the 17 victims. Others carried flags and posters.
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’.”
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.
A video blogger also 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, said Robert Lasky, FBI special agent in charge of the Miami division.
On Monday, a law enforcement source briefed on the investigation told CNN that Cruz had obtained at least 10 firearms, all of them rifles. Investigators are trying to track the purchases, which Cruz appears to have made in the past year or so, the source said.
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 and is scheduled to appear before a judge Monday afternoon for a hearing to address whether certain documents in the case should remain sealed. Judge Elizabeth Scherer seemed opposed to the defense motion during a morning hearing.
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.