SUNRISE, FLA. (WSVN) - The public safety commission established to find out what went wrong during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has convened once again.
On Tuesday they discussed the gunman’s mindset prior to the massacre, as they prepared to hear from the deputy who was on campus at the time.
Tuesday’s session, held at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, was mostly closed, as the commission discussed the mental health of accused shooter Nikolas Cruz. However, the meeting was later opened up during discussions on Cruz’s social media activities and other factors that led to the shooting.
“As we go through the material, it is against the backdrop that our charge under the statute is to determine what happened, identify system failures and make recommendations for improvements,” said Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the commission chair.
Cruz’s social media presence was full of red flags.
“This was a social media post from Instagram,” said an investigator as he showed a photo of the suspect. “He’s looking up toward the ceiling and holding three knives in his hand.”
In addition, investigators said, Cruz posted pictures of him holding a knife or gun 19 times and posted statements expressing hatred eight times. He also posted statements expressing a desire to hurt or kill people 11 times.
The commission also listened to dozens of 911 calls that came in from students as the mass shooting unfolded and in its immediate aftermath.
Of particular concern is the transfer system between law enforcement agencies and the delays it caused relaying information. The commission’s investigation revealed most of the calls initially went to the Coral Springs Police Department, and it took longer for that information to reach the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
“Well, Cruz had shot 24 people in 107 seconds,” said Gualtieri.
Some of the findings had been previously reported, but some of it had not.
“You know the phrase ‘see something, say something,’ it means something, and it has to mean more than a phrase,” said Gualtieri. “We need it to resonate with the public because law enforcement simply cannot be everywhere all the time. We have to have the public’s help to effectively do our job.”
On hand at Tuesday’s session was Fred Guttenberg, the father of Stoneman Douglas shooting victim Jamie Guttenberg. The grieving father has filed a lawsuit against the FBI, claiming they breached protocol investigating Cruz.
“Everybody failed, and this going to be the shooting where we’re going to hold people accountable,” he said. “You know what? People are going to pay a price.
The meeting, one of four scheduled this week, wrapped up just before 4:30 p.m.
On Thursday, the commission is scheduled to hear from Scot Peterson, the deputy assigned as the high school’s school resource officer who resigned after it was revealed that he never went into the building during the shooting. It remains unknown whether or not he will show up at the meeting.
That session will be one of the final meetings before the panel compiles all of their information and hands over their recommendation report to the governor sometime in January.
“While there is no doubt that there is an opportunity for improvement, also make no mistake that there are a lot of people who performed exceptionally well and heroically on February 14th,” said Gualtieri.
This commission will continue to meet this week until Friday.
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