Donald Trump has seemed to place some of the blame for the Florida school shooting at the feet of the victims of the attack.
Trump has claimed the neighbours and classmates of the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, should have told authorities about warning signs in Cruz’s behaviour.
Students and people living near Nikolas Cruz have described him as a ‘troubled’ teenager who threatened and harrassed people, as well as expressing an interest in killing animals.
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2018
President Trump tweeted:
So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behaviour.
Neighbours and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!
The 19-year-old suspect was expelled from the school for ‘disciplinary reasons’ according to Broward County Sheriff, Scott Israel, though specifics are not known.
Math teacher Jim Gard told the Miami Herald the school had indeed identified Cruz as a potential threat, as the school had sent an email to teachers waring he shouldn’t enter school grounds with a backpack.
Gard said:
We were told last year that he wasn’t allowed on campus with a backpack on him.
There were problems with him last year threatening students and I guess he was asked to leave campus.
It had been known to family friends Cruz had an AR-15, which was allegedly used to carry out the shooting, but he was made to keep it locked in a cabinet. He had the key.
Family members of Cruz said the police had been to the boy’s house many times, as he used to get into trouble repeatedly.
Donald Trump was labelled a ‘f*cking piece of sh*t’ on Twitter earlier by someone who’s thought to have been a student at the Florida school, where the shooting – which killed 17 students – took place.
Donald Trump’s message of condolence on Twitter fell on deaf ears after the incident yesterday, February 14.
Trump offered his ‘prayers and condolences’ to the families of the dead, but the alleged student, among others, were not accepting of either.
Trump tweeted:
My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting.
No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.
My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018
The user who replied, who’s known online simply as Sarah, quoted Trump’s tweet in her reply to the President of the US.
She wrote:
I don’t want your condolences you f*cking price [sic] of sh*t, my friends and teachers were shot.
Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead.
Do something instead of sending prayers. Prayers won’t fix this. But Gun control will prevent it from happening again.
I don’t want your condolences you fucking price of shit, my friends and teachers were shot. Multiple of my fellow classmates are dead. Do something instead of sending prayers. Prayers won’t fix this. But Gun control will prevent it from happening again. https://t.co/UZPgcPoPUX
— sarah (@chaddiedabaddie) February 14, 2018
There’s been an outpouring of support for Sarah – who called the incident the ‘worst day of my life’ – as well as the other victims.
The school shooting is now the eighteenth shooting to take place in a US school this year alone.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.