The FBI have admitted an anonymous tip provided back in January on the Parkland, Florida shooting was not taken seriously when it was first received.
On Jan. 5, 2018 a person close to Nikolas Cruz, the Florida shooting suspect, called the FBI's Public Access Line (PAL) tipline to report concerns about Cruz.
"The caller provided information about Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behaviour, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting," stated a spokesperson for the FBI.
Under FBI rules, the information should have been assessed as a potential threat and then forwarded to the FBI Miami field office.
However, the FBI determined these steps were not taken and the information never reached the FBI Miami field office.
"We are still investigating the facts. I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter, as well as reviewing our processes for responding to information that we receive from the public," said Christopher Wray, FBI director.
FBI Statement on the Shooting in Parkland, Florida: https://t.co/m1sOtrEbOG
— FBI (@FBI) February 16, 2018
Florida's Governor, Rick Scott, is now calling for Wray to resign as director of the FBI.
“The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable. The FBI has admitted that they were contacted last month by a person who called to inform them of Cruz’s ‘desire to kill people,’ and ‘the potential of him conducting a school shooting,’" said Governor Scott in a news brief today.
“Seventeen innocent people are dead and acknowledging a mistake isn’t going to cut it. An apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life or comfort the families who are in pain. The families will spend a lifetime wondering how this could happen, and an apology will never give them the answers they desperately need.
“We constantly promote ‘see something, say something,’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act. ‘See something, say something’ is an incredibly important tool and people must have confidence in the follow through from law enforcement. The FBI Director needs to resign.”
Visit the District’s online Crisis Support resource center, https://t.co/61FWz9NwN4, with tips, information and resources to assist parents and families impacted by this devastating situation.
— Broward Schools (@browardschools) February 16, 2018
Broward School District is continuing to provide resources through grief counsellors, online crisis support and a hotline for all families, staff and students impacted by the shooting.
