Alex Thomas
There may have been warning signs that the 19-year-old Florida shooting suspect, Nikolas Cruz, was going to become violent, according to new reports.
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A member of the Florida white supremacist group, Republic of Florida, told the Anti-Defamation League that Cruz was a member of the group, saying that he trained with the group near Tallahassee. The ROF bills themselves as a “white civil rights organization fighting for white identitarian politics.” An individual claiming to be a representative of the group told The Associated Press “[Cruz] acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he’s solely responsible for what he just did.” He added that he believed Cruz had “trouble with a girl” and that he may have chosen Valentine’s Day for a reason.
Two federal law enforcement officials say the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle used in the deadly rampage at a high school was purchased legally at Sunrise Tactical Supply in Florida. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
19-year-old Parkland, Florida, school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, according to sheriff's office https://t.co/8XEE7sNFoP pic.twitter.com/SC5whP8FbO
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 15, 2018
Rare has reached out to Sunrise Tactical Supply but has not heard back. The store is less than eight miles from the school where Cruz is accused of killing 17.
A bail bondsman in Florida said that he notified the FBI after someone using the screen name “Nikolas Cruz” posted a Facebook comment, writing “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.” The bondsman said that FBI agents visited him the next day.
Uber also confirmed that Cruz used their service before the shooting but would not say if the driver noticed anything strange about the suspected shooter or if he saw a gun.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
