Sheriff Says He Got 23 Calls About Shooter's Family, but Records Show More
Washington (CNN)As critics have taken aim at law enforcement for missing alert signs about South Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz, public records have emerged that conflict with Broward County Sheriff Scott State of israel's statements about the number of times deputies were dispatched to the shooter's home.
Records obtained from the sheriff's function past CNN prove the law enforcement agency received at least 45 calls for service relating to Cruz or his brother from 2008 to 2017, before the assault at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February. xiv. The sheriff'southward role has insisted it received no more than than 23 calls for service regarding Cruz or his family.
CNN has repeatedly asked the sheriff'southward function to explain the discrepancy, sending emails and attempting to achieve an agency representative by phone. The bureau has non responded to those requests with an explanation.
On February. 15, CNN received a Broward County Sheriff's Office log based on a public records request showing 39 calls from Cruz's house over a six-twelvemonth flow. During CNN's town hall on the Parkland school shooting last Wed, NRA representative Dana Loesch confronted Sheriff Israel about those 39 calls, though she inaccurately described them every bit existence 39 visits from law in one year.
The side by side twenty-four hour period, at a press briefing in the wake of growing public criticism, State of israel said his agency "has been involved in 23 type calls involving the killer in some fashion, shape or form -- or his brother."
On Saturday, the sheriff'south function reiterated that lower figure, releasing this public statement: "Since 2008, BSO responded to 23 incidents where previous contact was fabricated with the killer or his family. STOP REPORTING 39; It'S SIMPLY Not TRUE." That mean solar day, he made the same claim in a letter to the governor.
Nonetheless, based on logs of the original calls and additional records since obtained from the agency, CNN has plant that the Broward County Sheriff's Function really received 45 calls in the by decade related to the Cruz home, Nikolas Cruz or his blood brother -- even more than previously idea.
The documents in question include telephone call logs from the law enforcement agency'south "computer aided dispatch" system. The records list police calls from the dwelling at 6166 Northwest 80th Terrace in Parkland, Florida, which was the abode owned by Nikolas Cruz'southward mother during that fourth dimension catamenia, according to belongings deeds.
Each listed police force call has a unique identifying number, dispatch engagement and fourth dimension, and description. The descriptions include mentions of a "mentally sick person," "child/elderly abuse," "domestic disturbance," "missing person," and more. The vast majority of the calls resulted in "no written report."
A CNN review of the records shows that at least 19 calls relate to Nikolas Cruz, starting when he was every bit immature as 9 years old. An additional 25 calls regarded just his younger blood brother, Zachary, for beliefs ranging from running abroad to striking his mother. A final one is ambiguous nigh which boy it involves.
Several calls involving Nikolas were non cited on an original list of 39 calls related to the Cruz home, but were detailed in a dissever document released by the sheriff's office last week. Ane of the original calls turned out to involve a neighbor.
Calls relating to Nikolas Cruz include descriptions of fights with his blood brother, cursing at his female parent, and throwing her against the wall for taking away his Xbox. The issues brought to the sheriff's attention worsen over time. In 2014, someone accused him of shooting a chicken with a BB gun.
Records show that in 2016, a neighbor warned the sheriff's office of an Instagram post in which Cruz said he "planned to shoot up the school." This week, Joelle Guarino told CNN she placed the 911 phone call and had begged the sheriff's function to intervene. She was told there was cypher deputies could practice until Cruz really did something, she said.
Later that year, an unidentified peer advisor alerted the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School's schoolhouse resource deputy that Cruz "mayhap" drank gasoline "in an attempt to commit suicide," was "cutting himself," and "wished to buy a gun." An investigator with Florida's Section of Children and Families spoke to Cruz, but his therapist ultimately advised that he was "not currently a threat to himself or others" and did not need to be committed.
On November 1, the day his mother died, Broward Sheriff's Role received a call from Lynda Cruz'due south cousin, who warned deputies that Cruz had rifles and pleaded for them to "recover these weapons." On November xxx, the sheriff's part received a telephone call from a tipster in Massachusetts who warned them Cruz was "collecting guns and knives," and "could be a schoolhouse shooter in the making." Records show the deputy "referred caller to the Palm Embankment Sheriff's Office," which had jurisdiction over Cruz's temporary habitation with a family friend. Within days, Cruz was dorsum south in Broward County staying with another friend's family.
On Dominicus morning, Sheriff State of israel appeared on CNN'southward State of the Union program. Anchor and main Washington correspondent Jake Tapper asked State of israel if he takes "any responsibility for the multiple red flags" that were brought to the agency's attention.
"Jake, I tin can only take responsibleness for what I knew most. I exercised my due diligence. I take given amazing leadership to this agency," State of israel replied.
Since the attack, which killed 17, there have been multiple calls for the sheriff, a Democrat, to resign from his elected post. On Saturday, Florida State Rep. Beak Hager (R-Boca Raton) urged the governor to relieve Israel for "gross incompetence." On Sunday, Florida Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran (R-Land O'Lakes), wrote a letter to the governor citing the department's "failures to intervene" with Nikolas Cruz that are "unacceptable and unforgivable."
Read the original listing of 39 calls to the sheriff'due south role from the Cruz family home:
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/27/us/parkland-shooter-cruz-sheriff-calls-invs/index.html
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