The FBI admits it was tipped off about the Parkland shooter and never followed through

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 16 February 2018

The FBI admitted Friday that it received a tip from "a person close to" Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old who has confessed to carrying out Wednesday's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, that "provided information about Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting." The bureau did not follow through with the established protocol, allowing the information to fall by the wayside, the FBI said.

The tip came into the FBI's Public Access Line (PAL) on Jan. 5, 2018, and the information should have been passed on to the FBI Miami Field Office for subsequent investigative steps, but it was not. "I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

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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.

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