The United States has agreed to pay a settlement totaling $127.5 million to the families of victims of the Parkland High School shooting in Florida, NPR reported on March 17. Years earlier, lawyers had filed claims with the government, accusing FBI agents of negligence before the shooting.
The world-shattering Parkland campus shooting, which caused extreme damage, occurred on February 14, 2018, at Douglas High School in Parkland, Broward County, Florida, where 19-year-old killer Nicolas Cruz opened fire on campus, killing 17 people and injuring at least 17 others.
According to a Justice Department statement, the incident involved 40 civil cases and would eventually receive a settlement of $127.5 million, including 16 of the 17 families of the victims.
According to the Associated Press, lead attorney Christina Infant said: "It is an honour for me to be able to represent the families of the victims of Parkland who have experienced immeasurable grief and although there is no solution to restore what the victims' families have lost, this settlement agreement marks an important step towards justice." ”
In a lawsuit by the victim's family, they accused the FBI of negligence. They said the bureau received clues about Cruz, including his hoarding of weapons and intent to shoot inside the campus, but agents failed to intervene and prevent the violence from occurring.
A few weeks before the Pakaran campus shooting allegedly occurred, an informant told the FBI that Nicholas Cruz was "going to explode" and that he was "going to sneak into a school and shoot at the place."
However, the Justice Department said in a statement that the settlement "does not amount to an admission of fault."
In October 2021, Nicholas Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 charges of first-degree murder and 17 other counts of attempted murder.
Nicholas Cruze once posted photos on social networks
He initially pleaded not guilty to all crimes, but his lawyers said they would not plead guilty to his crimes. Instead, the public defenders' group representing Cruz asked the court to sentence him to 17 life sentences to avoid the death sentence prosecutors are seeking.