The parents of a Parkland massacre victim are suing the U.S. government, claiming that the FBI should have acted on a tip that gunman Nikolas Cruz was 'going to shoot up the school.'
Philip and April Schentrup, whose 16-year-old daughter Carmen was one of 17 executed by Cruz at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last year, allege that the FBI failed in its duty to investigate the anonymous tip-off.
According to the legal complaint, a woman who knew Cruz said on the FBI's tip line a month before the attack: 'I know he's going to explode,' yet despite this the lawsuit states 'the FBI failed to take any action whatsoever with the information it received.'
Tragic: Carmen was one of 17 students executed by Cruz at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last year. Her parents, Philip and April Schentrup, have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, alleging they failed to investigate a tip-off that Cruz was a serious danger
The lawsuit lists a series of 'red flags' that the authorities failed to act on, alleging that numerous complaints about Cruz's propensity for violence, including his hoarding of weapons, mental health issues and a stated desire to carry out an attack.
Among the litany of alleged failures by authorities include:
In January 2013, Cruz's mother, Lynda Cruz, called the Broward County Sheriff's Office after her son threw her against a wall. She reported her son's anger issues.In February 2016, the Broward County sheriff received a report from an unnamed neighbor who said Cruz was posting photos of himself with guns on Instagram, and that he was expressing a desire to carry out a shooting.In September 2016, a school resource officer reported to the sheriff's office Cruz had ingested gasoline in an effort to commit suicide and was cutting himself. In September 2016, the Florida Department of Children and Families opened a case on Cruz, calling him 'a vulnerable adult due to mental illness' and The noted he said he planned to buy a gun, but 'it is unknown what he is buying the gun for'.In January 2017, Cruz was reported for an assault at Stoneman Douglas and referred for a threat assessment, according to the school's discipline records. In February 2017, Cruz bought the AR-15 he used in the shooting from Sunrise Tactical Supply in Coral Springs, Florida. On November 30, 2017, the Broward County Sheriff's Office received a tip from a caller in Massachusetts who said that Cruz was collecting guns and knives. One month before the shooting, the FBI received another tip warning that Cruz would commit a school shooting.Listing more than 60 'red flags' the complaint alleges that Cruz was well known to authorities and that multiple sources had reported him as a potential threat.
Gifted and talented: Carmen was a gifted student who was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. She, along with 16 other students and faculty were slain by Cruz on February 14, 2018
Nikolas Cruz sits in the courtroom during a status hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
On January 5, 2018, the lawsuit alleges that the FBI was contacted by a concerned member of the public who reported the then 18-year-old's behaviour, warning that Cruz had 'the mental capacity of a 12 to a 14-year-old'
On January 5, 2018, the lawsuit alleges that the FBI was contacted by a concerned member of the public who reported the then 18-year-old's behaviour, warning that Cruz had 'the mental capacity of a 12 to a 14-year-old.'
The caller said that Cruz's mother had recently died and as a result the boy was behaving erratically, displaying violent and suicidal behaviour.
She explained that Cruz had recently professed a desire to kill other people, and that he had posted such on his Instagram before deleting the declaration two days later.
The caller also said that Cruz was 'so into ISIS' and that she was 'afraid... something's gonna happen.'
She also alleged that Cruz, following the death of his mother, took money from her bank account and 'brought [sic] all these rifles and ammunition and he posted pictures of them on the Instagram.'
Students hold their hands in the air as they are evacuated by police from
