Feb 16, 2018

Police called to Florida shooter's house at least 36 times since 2010

Zachary Basu

Broward County police were called to Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz's house at least 36 times between 2010 and November 2016, Buzzfeed News reports. In September 2016, authorities responding to a 911 call from his mother, Lynda Cruz, reported they "saw no signs of mental illness or criminal activity and left without incident."

Why it matters: The police reports uncovered by Buzzfeed shed further light on the narrative that Cruz suffered from mental health issues, including ADHD and OCD, and that consistent warning signs over his disturbing behavior may have been missed.

The details:

From the September police report: "He has been cutting his arms, his mother said, to get attention, as he learned it from an ex-girlfriend. He has mentioned in the past that he would like to purchase a firearm."
But an on-scene therapist "deemed Nikolas to be no threat to anyone or himself at this present time."
From 2010 to 2016, police responded to the house more than 35 times over reports that Nikolas and his brother, Zachary, had threatened Lynda, thrown items, ran away from home and physically assaulted each other, in addition to other claims of erratic behavior.

Go deeper: Trying to understand the loner Florida shooter

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Police called to Florida shooter's house at least 36 times since 2010

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