Authorities: Brother of shooting suspect arrested at school

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press


David Fischer, Associated Press
Updated 7:26 pm, Monday, March 19, 2018

MIAMI (AP) — The brother of the teen charged with killing 17 people at a Florida school was arrested Monday afternoon for trespassing at the same school, authorities said.

Zachary Cruz, 18, was arrested at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and charged with trespassing on school grounds, a Broward Sheriff's Office report said.

The teen was recorded by security cameras riding his skateboard at the school around 4:30 p.m. though he had received prior warnings from school officials to stay away from the campus, the report said.

Zachary Cruz told the arresting deputy that he was there to "reflect on the school shooting and to soak it in," according to the report. It added that the teen had "surpassed all locked doors and gates and proceeded to ride his skateboard through school grounds."

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Authorities-Brother-of-shooting-suspect-arrested-12765555.php

[iluvtennis]

1. Seriously, he wants to "reflect on the school shooting and to soak it in". Get a life young man.

[thesquanderer]

6. On a skateboard. That's some somber reflection for you. (n/t)

[irisblue]

2. Geez. Reallly?

[JDC]

3. "Surpassed" is an odd word here.

Are they saying he got through security and locked doors/gates to ride around on his board? So:

WTF is he doing there?

Is he trying to get something that his brother stashed and told him to grab?

Is security there lax, even after the shooting?

[LisaL]

4. School isn't a maximum security prison that you seem to envision.

A lot of people come, a lot of people go.

[JDC]

5. Thx. I've been to a school or two

This one, as you may have read or seen on the news has an enclosed campus. I was merely trying to understand if he hopped a fence or what. But as you point out, the school is open, so the brother of a mass shooter returning to the school just weeks after 17 kids and adults were murdered in cold blood, well, free country I guess. Well played.

[bettyellen]

7. I agree it vague as it alludes to locked doors and fences without confirming theyre locked? Also I

Could have sworn I’d seen this kid was himself Baker acted almost immediately after the shooting?

[LisaL]

8. They let him out.

I believe he was only Baker acted for several days.

[bettyellen]

10. Thats how the BA typically works. My god this is crazy.

[Egnever]

9. if only someone could have been armed and shot him..

[lostnfound]

11. Different type of kid than his half-brother. Not violent. I feel sorry for him.

https://heavy.com/news/2018/02/zachary-cruz-nikolas-cruz-brother-rocxanne-deschamps-roxanne/

In fact I thought I had heard early on that he was a student at MSD.

Until proven otherwise, he is innocent and in fact a tragic figure. Lost his mother in October and then this horror.

[LisaL]

15. He isn't a current student there and has no business being there at all, especially after being told

Last edited Tue Mar 20, 2018, 07:32 PM - Edit history (2)

to not show up there. And I don't think you know what you are talking about here. He had plenty runs in with the police.

"Zachary Cruz was investigated for things like running away from home, hitting his mom with a baseball bat, and refusing to go back to school after he was suspended."

https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/lantana/nikolas-cruz-zachary-cruz-share-more-than-a-rap-sheet-in-broward-palm-beach-county

[lostnfound]

17. Youre correct.

I had not seen that part. Just that he was the quiet one.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Kick (nt)

[Cal Carpenter]

13. Yeah, honestly I sort of want to give this kid a pass

His big brother just went on a horrifying murder spree. Unless there's a lot more to this story, I imagine he's just pretty messed up in the head from that. I can't even imagine what it's like for him, and if riding his skateboard on school grounds is the worst thing he does in the aftermath well, good for him.

[LisaL]

14. He was told not to show up at the school and yet he showed up.

How do you think other students feel when they observe him there?

[christx30]

16. Or he went there to try to find

and hide evidence against his brother. Or to mock the victims. "Riding my skateboard where my brother killed your friends and teachers." I'm not willing to give this kid a pass. If he's told not to do something, he shouldn't do it. And he should be charged with felony trespassing if he's caught there again.