FBI failed to deal with Nikolas Cruz warnings twice, Rick Scott calls for Christopher Wray to resign

Immediately after the Florida school shooting the FBI’s investigation into Nikolas Cruz went public after the murderer made a shocking remark on a YouTube clip and the individual notified the Feds. Now the Wall Street Journal confirms that there was a second warning, just a month ago, as someone who knew him called an FBI tip line to complain about him.

Cruz fatally shot 17 people and injured many more in a Wednesday attack on his former school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Nikolas Cruz

After the WSJ report, the FBI said “a person close to” Cruz called the agency’s public tip line on Jan. 5 and left information on Cruz’s “gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting.”

The tip should have been “assessed as a potential threat to life” and forwarded to the bureau’s Miami field office for investigation. “We have determined that these protocols were not followed,” the agency said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in that statement that the bureau is trying to figure out how the mistake occurred, particularly because the bureau asks the public to “be vigilant” against threats and share them with authorities.

He also acknowledged the suffering the revelation will cause victims, survivors and their families.

“We have spoken with victims and families, and deeply regret the additional pain this causes all those affected by this horrific tragedy,” Wray said.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott responded quickly by calling for the resignation of Christopher Wray.

Scott called that “unacceptable” in a statement he issued Friday.

“The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable,” Scott said. “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.’

“Seventeen innocent people are dead and acknowledging a mistake isn’t going to cut it,” Scott continued. “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.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions noted the FBI’s failures in a statement Friday. He has ordered Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to “conduct an immediate review” of the Justice Department’s and FBI’s approach to reviewing violent threats.

“It is now clear that the warning signs were there and tips to the FBI were missed,” Sessions said. “We see the tragic consequences of those failures. The FBI in conjunction with our state and local partners must act flawlessly to prevent all attacks. This is imperative, and we must do better.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, called for congressional investigations of the FBI’s failure.

“It is inexcusable that the FBI failed to follow protocols and inform the Miami Field Office that people close to the Parkland, FL shooter warned the bureau over a month ago of his desire to kill, his mental state, and erratic behavior,” Rubio said in a statement.

“The fact that the FBI is investigating this failure is not enough. Both the House and Senate need to immediately initiate their own investigations into the FBI’s protocols for ensuring tips from the public about potential killers are followed through. Lawmakers and law enforcement personnel constantly remind the public that ‘if you see something, say something.’ In this tragic case, people close to the shooter said something, and our system utterly failed the families of seventeen innocent souls.”

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