FBI says it didn't act on tip about Parkland shooter

[DonViejo]

Source: CNN

By Shimon Prokupecz, CNN

Updated 12:56 PM ET, Fri February 16, 2018

Washington (CNN)The FBI failed to act on a tip about Nikolas Cruz, the confessed shooter in the Parkland, Florida, school massacre, the bureau said in a statement on Friday.

A person close to Cruz contacted the FBI on January 5 to report concerns about him, the FBI said. But the bureau did not appropriately follow established protocols in following up on the tip. "The information was not provided to the Miami Field Office, and no further investigation was conducted at that time," the statement said.

The stunning admission is sure to raise further questions about whether the FBI could have prevented the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which left 17 dead.

The FBI said the caller 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 information should have been assessed as a "potential threat to life," the bureau said.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/16/politics/parkland-shooting-fbi-tipster/index.html

[oberliner]

1. This is bad

Really bad.

[SunSeeker]

15. Trump directing inaction on non-Muslim domestic terrorists is bad.

Really bad.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-extremists-program-exclusiv/exclusive-trump-to-focus-counter-extremism-program-solely-on-islam-sources-idUSKBN15G5VO

[oberliner]

22. Exactly

It all flows from the top.

[SunSeeker]

23. Bingo. nt

[bitterross]

20. No, it's a direct result of 45's leadership and direction. Here's what to say about that.

45, Sessions and their ilk have taken domestic terrorists off the table as an issue. The FBI is just focusing on where they have been told to focus. The not nearly as dangerous and prevalent foreign terrorists.

That's what you tell anyone who says the FBI dropped the ball. They are just following the direction of the President and AG of the US.

[oberliner]

21. That's what makes it so bad

We have this complete leadership vacuum impacting every aspect of the government.

[GeorgeGist]

2. Should be a crime to withhold information ...

the causes murder to happen.

[inwiththenew]

3. World's preeminent law enforcement agency

That makes two separate tips to the FBI about the same guy who a cursory glance at his social media/history would show that this guy is a nutcase.

[djg21]

10. In defense of the FBI.

Cruz clearly is a nutcase. But there are a lot of nutcases, and it’s hardly illegal to be one. If those who knew him well thought he was a danger to himself or others, they arguably should have sought to have him civilly committed. In retrospect, the FBI or law enforcement perhaps should have done something, even if just putting him under surveillance. But hindsight is 20:20. I’m sure the FBI gets many, many tips on a daily basis, and at some point, it has to triage them and pursue those tips that it determines to be the most likely to be credible. Even the FBI has limited resources in terms of manpower, resources, and funding.

The fix here would have been to keep Cruz from purchasing firearms in the first place, and assault weapons in particular.

[SunSeeker]

18. Exactly. Unfortunately, there are tons of threatening gun nuts in MAGA hats out there. nt

[WinstonSmith4740]

24. And let's not overlook this.

I'm willing to bet if they HAD investigated this, and came to the conclusion any sane person would come to i.e., do NOT let this person have a gun, the NRA and their lackeys would have been out in full-throated outrage. But first they would have accused them of spying on a law abiding American citizen, before descending into the ever popular hair on fire claim of the "gubmint" coming after our guns. Unfortunately, the press will beat the drum about the FBI blowing it.

[jberryhill]

27. How does the FBI prevent someone from having a gun?

If they had investigated this, they would have found a lawful gun owner with odious opinions and who said bad things.

Then what? Be specific.

[djg21]

34. So they would have found a dumbfuck Trump support with a gun.

Go figure. He probably would have been offered a job in the Whitehouse.

[WinstonSmith4740]

40. That was my point.

Even if they had followed up on the tips, they wouldn't have been able to do anything, as he hadn't done anything except express heinous opinions, and collected guns. Both things being legal. However, the fact that the FBI did not follow up on this will be used by the Trump mouth breathers as evidence that the FBI is in a state of chaos, needs to be investigated, etc.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. I'm curious why it didn't.

[SunSeeker]

6. Maybe because Trump directed inaction on non-Muslim domestic terrorists.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-extremists-program-exclusiv/exclusive-trump-to-focus-counter-extremism-program-solely-on-islam-sources-idUSKBN15G5VO

[Cha]

43. Wow.. Mahalo

SunSeeker.

So the FBI could point to that when trump starts bleeting his inevitable nasty attacks on the FBI?

[SunSeeker]

5. Trump directed inaction on non-Muslim domestic terrorists.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-extremists-program-exclusiv/exclusive-trump-to-focus-counter-extremism-program-solely-on-islam-sources-idUSKBN15G5VO

[bronxiteforever]

9. +1

[IronLionZion]

7. The buck stops way below Trump and Sessions

since our president and attorney general are not responsible for anything under their winning leadership.

[sarge43]

8. At least they didn't try to tapdance away

That said, FeeBee you have blood on your hands. Shame.

[logosoco]

11. Okay, I get the part where they could have and should have relayed the information to the

local bureau...and then what would the local bureau do?

I imagine there are thousands of these types of threats online everyday...what can law enforcement actually do?


I am speaking as a person who has said "it is not the cops that prevent me from committing crimes, I don't commit crimes because it is not a good thing to do to my fellow human beings".

[jberryhill]

26. Yeah, that's the problem with this kind of thing

Precisely.

So they follow up on the tip and find a lawful gun owner with a big mouth.

Then what?

Lock him up on pre-crime charges?

[bronxiteforever]

12. Also local law enforcement responded to his home 39 times

Documents obtained by CNN show that law enforcement officers responded to Cruz’s house on 39 occasions over a seven-year period. No police reports were immediately available for those calls so it was not possible to determine whether Cruz was involved.


http://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/02/16/cnn-nikolas-cruz-law-enforcement-39-visits/

What did state and local enforcement and prosecutors do?

[atreides1]

32. 39 occasions over a seven-year period

So in a period of 2,555 days, give or take, local law enforcement responded to his home. In what context? Was it always something involving Cruz? Could there have been other reasons that local law enforcement responded to his home?


"What did state and local enforcement and prosecutors do?" Until we see the police reports we don't know, why!!!

[bronxiteforever]

35. I agree.We need a full accounting of local, state and federal

Contacts. 39 police responses is a substantial amount of contact with a residence even over 7 years. First contacts with the defendant needs reviewing. If there Was then there has to be a follow up to determine if supervisors were ever involved in potential charging decisions and were any referred to prosecution. There are plenty of questions here that need to be answered.
I hope the press stays on it because Rick Scott is not trustworthy.

[ThoughtCriminal]

13. Imagine how the GOP and media would have reacted

if the shooter was not-white and this had happened during the Obama administration.

It is all they would be talking about.

[cstanleytech]

17. Especially the far right media like Fox. nt

[wishstar]

14. They would have acted if shooter was threatening POTUS instead of "just" a school

tragic

[cstanleytech]

16. Considering the sheer volume of reports they probably deal with each year

it is understandable for some like this to slip through the cracks.

[lark]

19. Oh boy ,the FBI sure is complicated.

They lie about Clinton and disrupt the election on purpose to kill her candidacy, but part of them was investigating drumpf for actual coordination with a foreign power to change our election. Looks like there are various cabals there and guess this got into a rw'ers hands, who of course let it happen because, well, GUNS!!!

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

25. This reminds me of this dialogue from "National Treasure":

After the Declaration of Independence has been stolen, Special Agent Sadusky is directing the nascent investigation when the following exchange occurs:

[Agent Hendricks clears his throat]

Sadusky: Yes, Agent Hendricks, you've got something?

Agent Hendricks: Um...

Sadusky: This isn't a day for "Um."

Agent Hendricks: We received a tip a few days ago that someone was going to steal the Declaration of Independence.

Sadusky: [nodding] Do we have a name on the tipster?

Agent Hendricks: Uh, there was no file opened. We didn't find the information credible.

Sadusky: [beat] How about now?

--------------------------

It's got to be hard on the agents in charge of investigating the shooter beforehand. They probably keep telling themselves, "If only I had done _____________, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

[jberryhill]

28. Was he doing something illegal?

"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."

Which part of that is a crime of some sort?

I really don't get what the expectation would have been of some kind of "action".

[harun]

30. A good point. Perhaps they could have gone and talked with him.

Not much else could be done.

[jberryhill]

36. Yep

Which, with some of these unstable characters, doesn't have a calming effect on them anyway.

[joshcryer]

41. Yeah, I don't see them even questioning him without a FISA warrant.

And a screen shot of lone post on a YouTube page, which YouTube subsequently delete, would not have been enough.

It's quite unfortunate all around that more people didn't report the behavior and antics.

A lot of kids these days are very "edgy" though and will talk racist, you-name-it-phobic, shit in their small circle of people they talk to and they'll shrug it off as unserious "banter." The online gaming community in particular is filled with "edgy" teens who will literally sound like Hitler reincarnate for the "lulz." The problem is that some of them, like this nutjob, take it seriously or it becomes an internalized fantasy of theirs. And the friends when they hear it don't take it seriously because why would they, they've said similar shit before, too.

[Nitram]

29. The FBI dropped the ball. this is the equivalent of the bush administration ignoring warnings about

Bin Laden and an attack using hijacked aircraft.

[gyroscope]

31. As usual, the FBI is dysfunctional under republican admin

The NRA and their republican lackeys know gun sales always spike after a mass shooting, so they see it as an opportunity to profit. To them the more mass shootings we have, the better.

Just as the defense industry sees terrorist attacks as good for business.

[jberryhill]

42. What should the FBI have done?

The guy wasn’t doing anything illegal.

[Nitram]

44. The FBI had received a credible report that the guy was dangerous, making threats, owned guns, and

had been arrested for violent incidents. They failed to follow their own policies when they didn't follow it up. They F'ed up, royally.

[jberryhill]

46. So what?

You didn't tell me what the FBI was supposed to have done here.

Send the pre-crime division to lock him up?

Be specific, if you have an answer to the question of "what should they have done".

[Nitram]

47. The FBI is required to report it to local law enforcement and follow it up themselves.

What is your problem, dude? Are you entirely ignorant of what the FBI actually does? I'm not making this up, it has been extensively reported. Try to catch up and stop making snide comments to people who actually know what they are talking about.

[jberryhill]

48. Apart from your odd comments

It remains a “so what?”

He was not doing anything illegal. He had numerous interactions with local law enforcement.

Since you are oh-so-smart and know so much stuff, why don’t you simply state what it is that local law enforcement would have done to prevent this. The answer is obviously nothing, since you have nothing other than insults to offer.

How about you specifically state what local law enforcement would have done on the basis of the referral that would have had any preventive effect at all, smart guy.

[Nitram]

49. Berry, I find it odd that you keep insisting I should state "specifically state what local law

pecifically state what local law enforcement would have done on the basis of the referral that would have had any preventive effect at all, smart guy." If you re-read my post you will find that I wrote nothing about whether following official FBI protocols would have prevented the crime. The FBI failed to follow up on a report, which they are required to do by FBI protocols and regulations. As I wrote in my first post, "the FBI dropped the ball." Take a deep breath and try to regain a little perspective. I can't imagine what got you so exercised, but I'd suggest that you take that enormous chip off your shoulder and take up a calming hobby like crochet.

[Justice]

33. Why just the FBI? Why not local law enforcement as well?

Why didn't caller call police and sheriff as well?

[jberryhill]

37. To do what?

I'm fascinated by the tradeoff between (a) taking a long hard look at what the scope of the 2nd Amendment might be, and (b) the apparent enthusiasm for the idea that people should be taken into custody by law enforcement based on anonymous tips of what they might do.

I'll take option (a) over option (b).

Can anyone explain, in terms simple enough for someone as stupid as me to understand, what it is that the police or the FBI are supposed to do when they receive a tip that "there's some nutty guy who owns a gun and says scary things".

[inwiththenew]

38. How about at least talk with him face to face to see if he warrants further investigation?

He might even confess or slip and say something that you can arrest him on. He might not but you never know.

Police work doesn't all have to be reactive after the events happened. Beat cops see people behaving suspiciously and they may not have been witnessed committing a crime but they will go up and make contact with that person to see what they are doing.

[jberryhill]

39. Okay, so....

The idea here is that I can report anyone I like anonymously to law enforcement as a dangerous person, and then the FBI is going to send an agent to their door to ask that person questions to see if they confess to any crimes?

If that's how this is supposed to work, then I'm definitely getting one of these doormats:

[Nitram]

45. The FBI failed to to inform local law enforcement of a report that the guy was a credible threat.

Last edited Sun Feb 18, 2018, 10:56 AM - Edit history (1)