Trump tweets that Florida shooter was 'mentally disturbed'

Trump reacted to the deadly high school shooting in Florida that killed 17 people.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump on Thursday reacted to the deadly high school shooting in Florida that killed 17 people, tweeting: "So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!"

The tweet about the 19-year-old suspect, identified by police as Nikolas Cruz, was written as a "reply" to Trump's tweet from Tuesday about congressional negotiations on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, although there was no obvious correlation:

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Cruz, who was adopted, had apparently been living with a friend's family after the death of his mother three months ago, from the flu and pneumonia, CNN reports. He had also reportedly made social media posts like "I [wanna] shoot people with my AR-15" and had legally bought the firearm used in the attack after passing the background check within the past year.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.