Although it has not been confirmed, it is rather hard to believe today’s school shooting massacre was not premeditated to transpire on Valentine’s Day. However, it has been confirmed that Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old expelled/former student at the school, is responsible and calmly surrendered to law enforcement officers.
The scene of the Valentine’s Day massacre culminated when the shooter entered the school in Parkland, Florida after he initially opened-fire outside before continuing the killing spree inside school buildings. How did he fast-track his shooting? Cruz pulled the fire alarm thereby activating a full-scale fire-drill which brought all students, teachers, and staff to the school’s open-air compound.
In total, 17 lives were taken.
According to the National Council for Home Safety and Security, Parkland was named in 2016 as Florida’s safest city. Despite any jurisdiction anywhere USA, it takes only one demented individual to visit mayhem upon the sanctum of a city.
Broward Sheriffs Office (BSO) and the FBI are heading the investigation and enormous crime scene. The FBI already established an online site for anyone to upload information, images or videos related to the “Stoneman Shooting.” As often is the case, law enforcement authorities are scouring the shooter’s social media accounts and interviewing family/friends to ascertain if any foreboding signs were available. Albeit preliminary, it appears there were flags.
Media accounts reported that friends of Cruz now claim he openly adored and talked about guns. Classmates claim Cruz harbored ISIS ideologies. Some acquaintances stated Cruz went as far as to boast that some day he would shoot-up a school. Today was that day!
With signs and direct statements from Cruz that this Valentine’s Day massacre would someday happen, the “See something, say something” credo is being re-echoed across media channels and via police department public relations press conferences.
According to information published by Fox News, Cruz was at one time “a former member of the U.S. Army Junior Reserve.” Fox News also reported that Cruz was “obsessed with guns” and found shooting them “exhilarating.” Reportedly, Cruz is also a registered Democrat and Antifa supporter.
Today’s lone gunman was armed with an AR-15 and multiple magazines. He spoke of guns many times and publicly told friends he would one day shoot-up a school, claimed a Fox News Live feed of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel speaking to media.
Hitting close to home, Sheriff Israel’s children (triplets) attend Marjory Stoneman’s campus. Sheriff Israel called Cruz’s actions a “horrific, homicidal, detestable act!” Law enforcement directed parents responding to the scene to amass at a nearby Marriot hotel for information and coordination.
Other parents of children attending the school at the time of Cruz’s melee are jolted by today’s inexplicable mass-casualty event. This havoc also transpired while many folks received the sign-of-the-cross blessings via ashes dabbed by priests upon foreheads, emblematic of Ash Wednesday.
Multiple media outlets reported that, after his shooting spree concluded, Cruz called his dad and told him he had done something wrong. Mr. Cruz in-turn called police; a detailed BOLO was broadcast to the Broward County law enforcement community.
The Coconut Creek Police Department disseminated a BOLO which resulted in Officer Michael Leonard sighting Cruz whereby an un-opposing alleged mass murderer was taken into custody and offered no resistance. Cruz was transported to the BSO Operations Center.
In a bizarre way, on a day symbolic of love there is heartache for those whose loved ones are not coming home while tight embraces and loving kinship offer some parents a sigh of relief.
Will today’s Valentine’s Day massacre drive more gun-control debate? Although today’s mass casualty incident engendered active shooter scenarios among law enforcement practitioners, do Cruz’s actions re-engage the pros/cons regarding armed school teachers?
Police forums are mounting with pro-armed teacher comments from both cops and civilians alike. Where do you stand on the topic?
