INSIDER
Six years after the Parkland school massacre, the bloodstained building will finally be demolished
Read full article: Six years after the Parkland school massacre, the bloodstained building will finally be demolishedThe demolition of the building where 17 people died in the 2018 Parkland school shooting is set to begin.
'Frozen in time.' Kamala Harris tours bloodstained building where 2018 Parkland massacre happened
Read full article: 'Frozen in time.' Kamala Harris tours bloodstained building where 2018 Parkland massacre happenedVice President Kamala Harris toured the bloodstained classroom building where the 2018 Parkland high school massacre happened.
6 years later: Students create shape of heart in honor of Parkland school shooting victims
Read full article: 6 years later: Students create shape of heart in honor of Parkland school shooting victimsIt’s been six years since 17 people were killed in the Parkland school shooting, and many are honoring the victims Wednesday with moments of silence and other events, according to News 6 partner Local 10 News.
Florida families using AI to re-create voices of school gun violence victims to call lawmakers
Read full article: Florida families using AI to re-create voices of school gun violence victims to call lawmakersThe family of a teen murdered at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is launching a campaign where re-created voices of gun violence victims will call federal lawmakers.
Your Florida Daily: Deputy claims he had ‘no legal duty’ to stop Parkland shooter, Orlando to launch Pulse memorial fund
Read full article: Your Florida Daily: Deputy claims he had ‘no legal duty’ to stop Parkland shooter, Orlando to launch Pulse memorial fundA civil lawsuit filed by more than a dozen survivors and family members of victims killed at Parkland want a jury to prove that a former Broward school resource officer failed to save lives during the shooting.
Your Florida Daily: Lawmakers walk through scene of Parkland massacre, cost of calling 911 may increase in Lake County
Read full article: Your Florida Daily: Lawmakers walk through scene of Parkland massacre, cost of calling 911 may increase in Lake CountyFamily members of victims joined members of Congress at Stoneman Douglas High School.
Years after Parkland massacre, tour freshens violence for group of House lawmakers
Read full article: Years after Parkland massacre, tour freshens violence for group of House lawmakersA second group of U.S. House lawmakers toured the building where Parkland high school students were massacred in 2018.
Your Florida Daily: Missing mother found dead inside storage unit, lawmakers to tour ‘untouched’ Parkland crime scene
Read full article: Your Florida Daily: Missing mother found dead inside storage unit, lawmakers to tour ‘untouched’ Parkland crime sceneDeputies say they got a call about a bad smell coming from a unit at a self-storage facility.
Stoneman Douglas High shooting site visited one last time by lawmakers and educators
Read full article: Stoneman Douglas High shooting site visited one last time by lawmakers and educatorsFlorida lawmakers and education leaders from several states have taken what is likely to be the final tour of a building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Broken headlight leads to discovery of Florida man’s mass murder plans, deputies say
Read full article: Broken headlight leads to discovery of Florida man’s mass murder plans, deputies sayDeputies said that last month, a Jupiter police officer pulled over Henry Horton after spotting that his truck’s passenger headlight was broken.
Shots again fired at site of Parkland school massacre in reenactment after lawmakers visit
Read full article: Shots again fired at site of Parkland school massacre in reenactment after lawmakers visitGunfire again erupted at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as part of a reenactment of the 2018 massacre that left 14 students and three staff members dead.
Your Florida Daily: Lawsuit against Scot Peterson, property insurance costs going up for Floridians
Read full article: Your Florida Daily: Lawsuit against Scot Peterson, property insurance costs going up for FloridiansGunfire will again ring out at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Friday, as part of the civil lawsuit against former school resource deputy Scot Peterson.
Florida school shooting reenactment set for Aug. 4 using live ammunition, judge told
Read full article: Florida school shooting reenactment set for Aug. 4 using live ammunition, judge toldThe reenactment of a 2018 mass shooting at a Florida high school will take place early next month as part of a civil lawsuit and will use live ammunition.
Prosecutor: Deputy fled during Parkland school massacre, putting own life ahead of students'
Read full article: Prosecutor: Deputy fled during Parkland school massacre, putting own life ahead of students'A jury will soon decide the fate of a Florida sheriff's deputy accused of failing to protect students during the 2018 Parkland school massacre.
Gun tragedies hit close to home for Stanley Cup Final opponents, who helped their communities heal
Read full article: Gun tragedies hit close to home for Stanley Cup Final opponents, who helped their communities healThe Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers were connected by tragedy five years before meeting in the Stanley Cup Final.
Jury selection to begin in trial of former Florida deputy accused of failing to confront Parkland shooter
Read full article: Jury selection to begin in trial of former Florida deputy accused of failing to confront Parkland shooterJury selection in the trial of an ex-sheriff's deputy charged with failing to confront the Parkland, Florida, school shooter has gotten off to a speedy start.
Florida bill seeks to lower gun-buying age to 18
Read full article: Florida bill seeks to lower gun-buying age to 18Two House Republicans on Monday filed a proposal that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other “long” guns, potentially scrapping a high-profile change passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Florida officials investigate criminal activity reporting in Orange County Public Schools
Read full article: Florida officials investigate criminal activity reporting in Orange County Public SchoolsOCPS Superintendent Maria Vazquez said that information regarding disciplinary referrals will be released to the state before March 17.
Parkland remembers victims 5 years after school massacre
Read full article: Parkland remembers victims 5 years after school massacreThe community of Parkland, Florida, has gathered to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
WATCH LIVE: Families get final say before Parkland shooter is sentenced
Read full article: WATCH LIVE: Families get final say before Parkland shooter is sentencedFlorida school shooter Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life in prison this week, but not before the families of the 17 people he murdered get the chance to tell him what they think.
UCF students, alumni who lost loved ones in Parkland school shooting divided on jury verdict
Read full article: UCF students, alumni who lost loved ones in Parkland school shooting divided on jury verdictUniversity of Central Florida students impacted by the Parkland school shooting reacted to the jury verdict on Thursday.
‘What were you thinking?’ Parkland families react to jury’s life in prison recommendation
Read full article: ‘What were you thinking?’ Parkland families react to jury’s life in prison recommendationSome families of the 17 people killed in the Parkland school shooting expressed their anger, sadness and shock by the jury’s recommendation Thursday that confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of death, according to News 6 partner WPLG-TV.
Florida leaders react to jury recommending life in prison for Parkland school shooter
Read full article: Florida leaders react to jury recommending life in prison for Parkland school shooterFlorida leaders expressed a mixture of emotions Thursday after a jury rejected the death penalty and recommended instead a life sentence without parole for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz for killing 17 people in 2018.
Psychologist: Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suffered fetal alcohol damage
Read full article: Psychologist: Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suffered fetal alcohol damageA neuropsychologist says Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suffered brain damage when his birth mother drank during pregnancy.
Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz was fixated with guns, dreamed of killing others, letter shows
Read full article: Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz was fixated with guns, dreamed of killing others, letter showsFour years before Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people at a Florida high school, therapists at another school wrote a letter to his psychiatrist saying he was fixated on guns and dreamed of killing others and being covered in blood.
Florida school shooter was a ‘damaged person,’ attorney says
Read full article: Florida school shooter was a ‘damaged person,’ attorney saysThe lead attorney for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz told the jury in his penalty trial Monday they have witnessed “things that will haunt them for the rest of their lives,” but they now need to learn what led him to massacre of 17 people four years ago before they can decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole.
Families recall lives lost at Florida school shooter’s trial
Read full article: Families recall lives lost at Florida school shooter’s trialFamily members from three of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s 17 victims gave heartrending testimony about how their 2018 deaths at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have affected their lives.
Thousands to rally for gun reform after surge in mass shootings
Read full article: Thousands to rally for gun reform after surge in mass shootingsThousands of people are rallying on the National Mall and across the rest of America in a renewed push for gun control measures after recent deadly mass shootings.
‘We gotta work together:’ Concerned parents call on legislators to agree on solutions to gun violence
Read full article: ‘We gotta work together:’ Concerned parents call on legislators to agree on solutions to gun violenceParents of school-shooting victims and students in schools have renewed calls for school-safety legislation following Tuesday’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Jury selection in Parkland school shooter’s trial upended by T-shirt
Read full article: Jury selection in Parkland school shooter’s trial upended by T-shirtJury selection in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz hit a new stumbling block when a potential juror wore a T-shirt potentially prejudicial to his case.
Deputies protect Florida school killer after potential juror ‘mouthed possible threats’
Read full article: Deputies protect Florida school killer after potential juror ‘mouthed possible threats’Deputies protecting Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz had to pull him aside and surround him after members of a jury pool became potentially threatening.
Potential juror in Parkland shooting trial asks to be excused for ‘sugar daddy’
Read full article: Potential juror in Parkland shooting trial asks to be excused for ‘sugar daddy’A prospective juror in the sentencing phase of the Parkland shooting trial used an interesting excuse when asking to be dismissed.
Florida massacre families to get $127.5 million for FBI’s inaction
Read full article: Florida massacre families to get $127.5 million for FBI’s inactionFederal officials have confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the families of most of those killed and wounded in a 2018 Florida high school massacre over the FBI’s failure to stop the gunman even though it had received information he intended to attack.
Florida school massacre families to get $127.5 million for inaction of FBI
Read full article: Florida school massacre families to get $127.5 million for inaction of FBIFederal officials have confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the families of most of those killed and wounded in a 2018 Florida high school massacre over the FBI’s failure to stop the gunman even though it had received information he intended to attack.
‘It’s not fair:’ UCF students from Parkland remember victims of mass shooting
Read full article: ‘It’s not fair:’ UCF students from Parkland remember victims of mass shootingInside the Student Union at the University of Central Florida, students gathered for a remembrance ceremony marking 4 years after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting which left 17 students killed.
On Parkland anniversary, President Joe Biden urges Congress on gun control
Read full article: On Parkland anniversary, President Joe Biden urges Congress on gun controlFamilies and gun control advocates are pressing President Joe Biden to do more to address gun violence, four years after 17 students and others were gunned down at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Florida flags to be flown at half-staff for Parkland victims, DeSantis says
Read full article: Florida flags to be flown at half-staff for Parkland victims, DeSantis saysFlorida government buildings, parks and other facilities will fly their flags at half-staff on Monday in honor of the 14 students and three staff members killed in the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre.
Florida district to pay $26 million to Parkland shooting victims
Read full article: Florida district to pay $26 million to Parkland shooting victimsA South Florida school district will pay more than $26 million to the families of 17 people killed in the 2018 shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Judge: Florida school shooting victims’ families can testify
Read full article: Judge: Florida school shooting victims’ families can testifyA judge has rejected an attempt by Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s attorneys to bar the parents of his 17 victims from testifying about the trauma the murders caused.
Florida student accused of making shooting threat against Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
Read full article: Florida student accused of making shooting threat against Marjory Stoneman Douglas HighA South Florida teenager is accused of making a school shooting threat against Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Brother of Parkland school shooting victim reacts to Nikolas Cruz guilty plea
Read full article: Brother of Parkland school shooting victim reacts to Nikolas Cruz guilty pleaParkland gunman Nikolas Cruz,23, pleaded guilty to murdering 17 people and 17 counts of attempted murder during the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland more than three years ago.
Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 17 counts of murder in 2018 Parkland school massacre
Read full article: Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 17 counts of murder in 2018 Parkland school massacreNikolas Cruz has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2018 massacre that left 17 dead at a Parkland, Florida, high school.
Brawl trial begins for Florida school massacre suspect Nickolas Cruz
Read full article: Brawl trial begins for Florida school massacre suspect Nickolas CruzJury selection has begun in the trial of the suspect in 2018′s Florida high school massacre, on charges that he attacked a jail guard nine months after the shooting.
Parkland massacre suspect shouldn’t be called ‘animal,’ ‘a thing’ or ‘the killer,’ attorney says
Read full article: Parkland massacre suspect shouldn’t be called ‘animal,’ ‘a thing’ or ‘the killer,’ attorney saysAttorneys for the former student accused of murdering 17 at a Florida high school want prosecutors and their witnesses barred at trial from referring to him as “an animal,” “a thing,” or “the killer."
School resource officer who hid during Parkland shooting to face criminal charges, judge rules
Read full article: School resource officer who hid during Parkland shooting to face criminal charges, judge rulesA judge has ruled that the former school resource officer accused of hiding during a Florida mass school shooting will have to convince a jury that he wasn’t criminally negligent.
Judge won’t close hearings in Florida school shooting case
Read full article: Judge won’t close hearings in Florida school shooting caseA Florida judge has refused to close pretrial hearings to the media and public in the case of the man accused of killing 17 people in a 2018 high school mass shooting.
Attorneys for suspected school shooter Nikolas Cruz want pretrial hearings closed
Read full article: Attorneys for suspected school shooter Nikolas Cruz want pretrial hearings closedAttorneys for the suspect in a 2018 Florida high school massacre want a judge to bar news outlets and the public from all pretrial hearings.
Video shows Florida school shooting suspect attacking jail guard
Read full article: Video shows Florida school shooting suspect attacking jail guardA video shown in court shows accused Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz rushed at a jail guard, briefly wrestling him to the ground during a November 2018 altercation.
President Biden gives video address to graduating Parkland students
Read full article: President Biden gives video address to graduating Parkland studentsPresident Joe Biden has told graduating seniors who were freshmen when a mass shooting left 17 people dead at their Florida high school that they've turned pain into purpose and darkness into light.
Biden faces long odds in push for more state 'red flag' laws
Read full article: Biden faces long odds in push for more state 'red flag' lawsPresident Biden faces an uphill battle as he tries to push for more state laws that would allow authorities to temporarily disarm people who are considered a danger to themselves or others.
On Parkland anniversary, Biden calls for tougher gun laws
Read full article: On Parkland anniversary, Biden calls for tougher gun lawsPresident Joe Biden used the the occasion to call on Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons. The president used the occasion to call on Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons. "For those of us who lost loved ones that day, it's pretty much like any other day. Even before the Parkland tragedy, there was already plenty of anguish in Florida over gun violence. “Today, as we mourn with the Parkland community, we mourn for all who have lost loved ones to gun violence,” he said.
How the Parkland shooting launched a new generation of activists
Read full article: How the Parkland shooting launched a new generation of activistsAs we approach the third anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, it’s a good time to reflect on the magnitude of the situation, as well as where it has led us from there.
Florida school district had no duty to predict student danger, judge rules
Read full article: Florida school district had no duty to predict student danger, judge rulesIn this frame grab from video provided by WPLG-TV, students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., evacuate the school following a shooting there on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (WPLG-TV via AP)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Florida judge has ruled that a local school district had no responsibility to warn students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School of the danger posed by a former student who would later be accused of a mass shooting that killed 17 people. Broward Circuit Judge Patti Englander Henning said Monday that the Broward County school district cannot be held liable for failing to predict actions that were beyond its control, the South Florida SunSentinel reported. AdFamilies of the victims have sued Cruz, who was 19 at the time, as well as the school district, the Broward Sheriff’s Office and on-duty deputies who failed to stop the massacre. “The District had no control over Cruz,” the judge ruled.
Senators introduce school safety act nearly 3 years after Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting
Read full article: Senators introduce school safety act nearly 3 years after Marjory Stoneman Douglas shootingSorrow is reverberating across the country Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, as Americans joined a Florida community in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)Three U.S. senators have introduced a school safety bill named for two of the students killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting almost three years ago on Feb. 14. Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, introduced the Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2021. “The Luke and Alex School Safety Act will ensure that the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse remains a resource our schools can access in the future. AdJohnson introduced the Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2019 to create the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse.
Florida school district seeks social media posts from parents in 2018 massacre
Read full article: Florida school district seeks social media posts from parents in 2018 massacreFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Florida school district wants the families of students and staff slain in a 2018 high school massacre to turn over their social media posts from that period, saying it needs them as part of its defense against the families’ lawsuits accusing it of negligence. The district cited multiple lawsuits in which judges found social media postings were relevant for the defense, including lawsuits against local governments. “Such postings are clearly relevant,” school district attorney Eugene Pettis wrote in a motion demanding the posts, according to the South Florida SunSentine l. “Defendants are entitled to discover whether the plaintiffs have made any comments on social media regarding” the shooting. Cruz had a long history of emotional and behavioral problems and his social media posts have been presented as evidence. In addition to the school district, Cruz, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and its former deputy, Scot Peterson, who was stationed at the school, and others are facing multiple lawsuits.
Parkland parents appeal mental health rulings to Florida Supreme Court
Read full article: Parkland parents appeal mental health rulings to Florida Supreme CourtTALAHASSEE, Fla. Parents of victims in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have gone to the Florida Supreme Court in disputes about alleged negligence by a mental-health facility that provided services to accused shooter Nikolas Cruz. Andrew Pollack and Shara Kaplan, parents of slain student Meadow Pollack, and Royer Borges and Emely Delfin, parents of seriously injured student Anthony Borges, have filed notices that they are appealing rulings last month by the 4th District Court of Appeal that said Henderson Behavioral Health, Inc., cannot be held liable in the shooting, according to documents posted Tuesday on the Supreme Court website. But in the Pollack case, the appeals court said the theories of liability are undermined by Florida law establishing that a criminal attack on third parties by an outpatient mental health patient is not within the foreseeable zone of risk created by the mental health provider. Florida law does not recognize a duty of mental health providers to warn third parties that a patient may be dangerous.As is common, the notices of appeal do not detail arguments that attorneys for the parents will make at the Supreme Court. Meadow Pollack was one of 17 students and faculty members who were killed Feb. 14, 2018, at the Parkland school, while Anthony Borges was one of 17 others who were wounded.
Judge: Parkland school shooting trial postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19
Read full article: Judge: Parkland school shooting trial postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. The death penalty trial of the man charged with killing 17 people at a Florida high school is off indefinitely because of restrictions related to the coronavirus outbreak, a judge said Monday. Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said in a hearing held remotely that its not even clear when the Broward County courthouse will reopen to the public. His lawyers say he would plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence, but prosecutors are forging ahead with a trial. Scherer said that is impossible now, and another issue is how to keep social distancing and masks for jurors. Broward County has had more than 11,300 coronavirus cases and 373 deaths, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Florida Supreme Court blocks assault weapon ban from ballot
Read full article: Florida Supreme Court blocks assault weapon ban from ballotA group called Ban Assault Weapons Now sponsored the proposed constitutional amendment, inspired by the mass shooting at a Parkland high school that left 17 people dead. While the ballot summary purports to exempt registered assault weapons lawfully possessed prior to the Initiatives effective date, the Initiative does not categorically exempt the assault weapon, only the current owners possession of that assault weapon. The ballot summary is therefore affirmatively misleading, the court wrote in its opinion. But since the petitions used the language the court says is invalid, the group cant simply tweak the ballot summary. Attorney General Ashley Moody opposed the ballot initiative, as did the National Rifle Association, which hired a legal team to fight it.
'Turf wars' alarm Florida panel probing Parkland shooting
Read full article: 'Turf wars' alarm Florida panel probing Parkland shootingTALLAHASSEE, FL – A Florida grand jury looking into last year's Parkland school shooting chided schools, law enforcement and other local jurisdictions over continued "turf wars" that could hamper the response to another crisis. Ron DeSantis requested that the Florida Supreme Court impanel a statewide grand jury for a yearlong review into school safety. In particular, the grand jury urged school districts to assume responsibility for making sure armed security personnel are installed at charter schools. The grand jury suggested that the Florida Department of Education take on that role. A spokeswoman for DeSantis said the governor is reviewing the recommendations made by the grand jury.