Last content update and data verfication was on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 07:28:55 (America/New York — EST — UTC -5) by MEB MediaX Webmaster or authorized designee.
Details
- Mass Shooting
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
- Municipality
- Parkland
- State
- Florida – FL
- Zip Code
- 33076
- Region
- South
- Division
- South Atlantic
- Incident Date
- February 14, 2018
- Venue Type
- School-Public (9-12)
- Killed
- 17
- Injured
- 17
Ranking Data
- Preventable Factors/Rankings
- Blatant Rankings - Points Doubled
- 3
- Preventable Rankings Score
- 18
- Preventable Status
- Somewhat Preventable
Preventable Factors
- Preventable Factor Details
Last content update and data verfication was on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 07:28:55 (America/New York — EST — UTC -5) by MEB MediaX Webmaster or authorized designee.
Takeaway(s):
—We need to do a much better job of interrupting troubling behavior by children and teenagers, particularly when it’s chronic, which it was in this case.
—The lack of law enforcement action during the incident was appalling. Regardless of at least one court ruling that states the police had no duty to protect students during the incident, they most certainly had a moral obligation to do so.
—The minimum age to purchase any gun should be 21.
Incident Preventable Factor(s):
—Behavioral Red Flags Ignored/Response Delayed – Perpetrator Expressed Suicidal Ideation and/or Suicide by Police and/or Expressed Violent Intentions Privately and/or Publicly in Person and/or In Any Medium:
“Friends, family, and neighbors, were worried about the Perpetrator. So were social workers, teachers, and sheriff’s deputies in two counties.
As classes at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School resumed two weeks after the shooting rampage that left 17 people dead, it is increasingly clear that the perpetrator, the alleged shooter, was deeply troubled.
The 19-year-old was the subject of dozens of 911 calls and at least two separate tips to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He also came to the attention of the Florida Department of Children and Families (FDCF). Despite warning signs stretching back over a decade, no one intervened to stop the Valentine’s Day shootings.”1
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission report states “[The perpetrator] was a troubled child and young adult who displayed aggressive and violent tendencies as early as three years old. [The perpetrator] struggled in academics and attended several schools. There are reports of behavioral issues at all of the schools he attended. He was under the care of community and private mental health professionals from age 11 until he turned 18 and refused further services.” 2
—Criminal Justice System Failures – Law Enforcement Failure – Delayed Response or Inaction to Perpetrator(s) at Incident Scene:
During the incident the School Resource Officer [SRO] on duty “… found a safe spot outside the building—and did absolutely nothing, … .” 3 The school resource officer (SRO), a former Broward County Deputy Sheriff, who resigned shortly after the incident and was subsequently fired, faces 11 criminal charges, including child neglect and negligence, for not entering the school building to confront the perpetrator. 4
Four other Broward County Deputy Sheriffs were terminated for “neglect of duty” for failing to act during the incident. One of them, who hid in his vehicle during the incident, was recently reinstated after successfully challenging his termination through a union, and it appears the other two will also be reinstated due to procedural issues with their terminations. 5
“At least eight sheriff’s deputies who raced to the school and heard gunshots stayed outside the building, the commission wrote in a 400-page draft report, and officers lost even more time scrambling to retrieve bulletproof vests from their cars.” Two court rulings have been issued in conflict on the question of whether Broward County Public Schools and/or the Broward County Sheriff’s Department had an obligation to protect students during the incident. One court ruling was issued by a federal judge (stating they don’t) and the other by a county judge (stating they do). The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the government has only a duty to protect persons who are “in custody.” There are exceptions. Like when a law enforcement officer has a “special relationship” with people, or acts to “enhance the risk” of harm, the law enforcement officer can be liable for any resulting injury under state negligence laws. 6 A commission appointed by then-Governor Rick Scott to investigate the shooting condemned the police inaction and urged school districts across the state to adopt greater measures of security. 7
This gross law enforcement inaction is deemed blatant and therefore the ranking points have been doubled.
—Gun Laws Inadequate – Inadequate Gun Law(s) Contributed to Perpetrator Execution of the Incident:
According to the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission Initial Report” in the section “Chapter 8. Summary of [Perpetrator’s] Life and Contacts prior to February 14, 2018 – 8.7 [Perpetrator’s] Gun Purchases” the perpetrator of the mass shooting that occurred on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and staff were killed and 17 others injured, lawfully purchased, on February 11, 2017, when he was just 18 years of age, the Smith and Wesson model MP-15 semi-automatic firearm he used.
The following is from the indicated report:
“On September 30, 2016, [the perpetrator] was issued a Florida identification card that he needed to purchase firearms. [The perpetrator] used a single firearm during the shooting, and it was the only firearm he had in his possession on February 14, 2018. The firearm was a Smith and Wesson, model MP-15 semi-automatic firearm. A sling and bipod were attached to the rifle. The firearm was lawfully purchased on February 11, 2017, at Sunrise Tactical Supply in Coral Springs, Florida. Eight 30- and 40-round capacity magazines were recovered from the scene.” 8
Editor’s Note:
Some states have raised the legal age to purchase tobacco products to 21 and nationally the minimum age to purchase—not necessarily consume—alcoholic beverages is 21 so why in some states—mostly rural places with a strong tradition of hunting —can you buy a rifle at the age of 14 or 16? Federal law requires someone to be at least 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer, but only 18 in most places to buy a long gun. The minimum age to purchase any gun should be 21.
Sunrise Tactical Supply in Coral Springs, Florida, closed indefinitely on February 16, 2018.
—Vexatious Cascade of Events Beset Perpetrator – Vexatious Cascade of Events Beset Perpetrator:
(As illustrated.)
Source(s):
1. Rose, Joel. March 1, 2018. “Parkland Shooting Suspect: A Story Of Red Flags, Ignored”. NPR. Retrieved May 26, 2021, at https://www.npr.org/2018/02/28/589502906/a-clearer-picture-of-parkland-shooting-suspect-comes-into-focus.
2. None. November 1, 2019. “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission”. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MSDHS/MSD-Report-2-Public-Version.pdf.
3. Greene, Leonard. February 23, 2018. “Armed Officer at Parkland High School Resigns After He Did Nothing During Deadly Shooting”. New York Daily News. Retereived June 10, 2021, from https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/armed-officer-resigns-parkland-shooting-article-1.3836465.
4. Anderson, Curt. February 11, 2021. “3 Years Later, Parkland School Shooting Trial Still in Limbo”. ABC News. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/years-parkland-school-shooting-trial-limbo-75827501.
5. Cox, Chelsey. May 15, 2020. “Fact Check: Officer Fired for Failing to Act During Parkland School Shooting Got His Job Back”. USA Today. Retereived May 25, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/05/15/fact-check-parkland-officer-who-failed-act-shooting-gets-job-back/5194831002/.
6. Hassan, Adeel. December 18, 2018. “Officers Had No Duty to Protect Students in Parkland Massacre, Judge Rules”. The New York Times. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/18/us/parkland-shooting-lawsuit-ruling-police.html.
7. None. Last Edited May 25, 2021. “Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting”. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoneman_Douglas_High_School_shooting.
8. None. January 2, 2019. “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission Initial Report”. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MSDHS/CommissionReport.pdf.
Fluidity
- Criminal Case Pending?
- Civil Litigation Pending?
- Trending
- ⯅
Administrative Information
- Credible Source Inquires?
- 8
- Are Credible Source Inquires Inline Endnotes?
- Assessment Status?
- Complete
- Editorial Board Approval?
Record Information
- Last Updated
- Lexar
- Record ID
- 10
- Private ID
- L6VHI1E
- Date Recorded
- 2021-05-25 19:21:59
- Date Updated
- 2023-10-22 02:39:07
- Last Accessed
- Type Designation