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U.S. NEWS Thursday 15 November 2018

Sheriff: Parkland shooting suspect assaulted jail officer

By CURT ANDERSON and massacres happened
TERRY SPENCER three months before the
Associated Press Parkland shooting. On Jan.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) 21, Cruz wrote himself a
— Florida school shooting cellphone note saying “life
suspect Nikolas Cruz at- is a mess” and “unfair” and
tacked a detention officer he was getting “even more
at the county jail and now agitated.”
faces new charges includ- “I want to kill people but I
ing use of the officer’s elec- don’t know how to do it,”
tric stun device, authorities he wrote.
said Wednesday. Suess said Cruz frequent-
Broward Sheriff’s Office ly looked up the song
spokeswoman Veda Cole- “Pumped Up Kicks,” where
man-Wright said in an email a shooter sings that other
Wednesday that Cruz as- kids “better run, outrun my
saulted Sgt. Raymond Bel- gun.” About a week before
tran around 6 p.m. Tues- the shooting, he said, Cruz
day. searched “Is killing people
Jail records show Cruz easy.”
now is charged with ag- On Feb. 9, five days be-
gravated assault on an of- fore the shooting, Cruz did
ficer, battery on an officer searches seeking infor-
and use of an “electric or mation about homicidal
chemical weapon against In this Aug. 15, 2018 file photo, Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz listens during a status thoughts and urges and
an officer.” check on his case at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for a therapist. Some com-
The 20-year-old Cruz faces Associated Press missioners believe Cruz was
the death penalty in the Beltran then “got into a The report doesn’t detail confronting the gunman. having second thoughts,
Feb. 14 shooting at Mar- physical altercation” in the severity of injuries to Members of the Marjory the commission heard.
jory Stoneman Douglas which both wound up on Cruz or Beltran. Stoneman High School But the next day, Cruz was
High School in Parkland the floor and Cruz was able “We don’t know any more commission said Broward again looking at videos
that killed 17 people and to wrest control of the stun than you do as of yet,” Bro- sheriff’s deputy Scot Peter- about the Columbine and
wounded 17 others. He’s gun, technically called ward County Public De- son was “not a real cop” Virginia Tech shootings.
pleaded not guilty in the a “conducive electronic fender Howard Finkelstein and was “a coward” as Three days before the
shooting, but his lawyers weapon.” The stun gun dis- said in an email. they reviewed video and shooting, Cruz made pre-
say he would plead guilty charged but it’s not clear Cruz appeared at a brief photos of his actions dur- viously released cellphone
in exchange for a life prison from the report whether it initial hearing Wednesday ing the shooting. They said videos that he never
sentence. struck anyone; Beltran was on the assault charges, Peterson did not enter the shared outlining his plans,
According to the assault able to regain control. with bail set at $200,000. building to confront the the commission was told.
arrest report, Cruz attacked Beltran was struck multiple But he won’t be released shooter, but stayed out- He looked up how long it
Beltran after he was told times by Cruz using his fists, because he is being held side. His attorney didn’t re- takes police to respond to
to “not drag his sandals according to video surveil- without bail on the murder spond to an email Wednes- school shootings. On the
around” while walking in lance cited by the report. charges. day seeking comment. Pe- morning of the shooting,
a jail dayroom. Cruz re- Finally, the report says Bel- Meanwhile, the state com- terson is scheduled to tes- Cruz sent innocuous texts
sponded, the report says, tran struck Cruz in the face mission investigating the tify before the commission to the friend he was living
by showing Beltran his mid- with a fist containing the shooting heavily criticized Thursday. He has previously with about meeting some
dle finger and then rushing stun gun and Cruz then “re- Wednesday the actions said he didn’t know wheth- girls that night or that he
the deputy and striking him treated to one of the seats” of the sheriff’s deputy as- er the shots were coming might go to a movie. It was
with his fist. in the dayroom before he signed to the campus, call- from inside or outside the Valentine’s Day and dur-
The report says Cruz and was taken into custody. ing him a coward for not building and that he heard ing the two hours before
only two or three shots. the shooting, Cruz tried re-
The commission also heard peatedly to engage his ex-
from a Pinellas County de- girlfriend in phone and text
tective who investigated conversations, but she told
Cruz’s internet searches, him to leave her alone and
text messages and cell- that she had a boyfriend.
phone usage. He responded, “You will al-
Sgt. John Suess said Cruz’s ways know I love you.” He
/arubatoday/ earliest found internet soon contacted Uber to
search referencing school take him to the school.q