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100-456: The Parkland high school shooting was a mass shooting that occurred on February 14, 2018, when 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami metropolitan area city of Parkland, Florida , killing 17 people and injuring 17 others. Cruz, a former student at the school, fled the scene on foot by blending in with other students and

200-427: A BB gun . Police said that he held "extremist" views; social media accounts that were thought to be linked to him contained anti-black and anti-Muslim slurs. Items recovered by police at the scene included gun magazines with swastikas carved in them. In February 2017, Cruz legally purchased an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle from a Coral Springs gun store, after having passed the required background check. Prior to

300-409: A firearm . There is no widely accepted definition, and different organizations tracking such incidents use different criteria. Mass shootings are often characterized by the indiscriminate targeting of victims in a non-combat setting, and thus the term generally excludes gang violence , shootouts and warfare . Mass shootings may be done for personal or psychological reasons, but have also been used as

400-487: A motive , for failures in school, career, romance, or life in general. Homicide Studies, Vol 8(1), pp 125–145.</ref> Additionally, or alternately, they could be seeking fame or attention, and at least 16 mass shooters since the Columbine massacre have cited fame or notoriety as a motive. Fame-seekers average more than double the body counts , and many articulate a desire to surpass "past records". There are

500-619: A terrorist tactic. The perpetrator of an ongoing mass shooting may be referred to as an active shooter . In the United States, the country with the most mass shootings, the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 defines " mass killings " as three or more killings in a single incident. In its definition, a Congressional Research Service report from 2013 specifies four or more killings on indiscriminate victims, while excluding violence committed as

600-415: A "school shooter in the making" and that he collected knives and guns. On September 23 , 2016, a peer counselor notified the school resource officer of his suicide attempt and intent to buy a gun, and the school indicated it would do a "threat assessment". On September 24 , 2017, a person with the username "nikolas cruz" posted a comment to a YouTube video that read, "Im [ sic ] going to be

700-491: A 2013 article, "those who feel nameless and as though no one will care or remember them when they are gone may feel doing something such as a school shooting will make sure they are remembered and listed in the history books." In a 2019 op-ed for the Los Angeles Times , Jillian Peterson and James Densley of The Violence Project think tank presented a new, hopeful framework to understand mass shootings. Based on

800-459: A Code Red lockdown and sent a radio message to a colleague inside Building 12, which Cruz had entered. The school's policies did not specify clearly who could order a lockdown, and staff had been trained not to order a lockdown unless they saw a gun or heard shots being fired. Cruz entered Building 12, a three-story structure containing 30 classrooms typically occupied by about 900 students and 30 teachers, at approximately 2:21 p.m. Upon entering

900-430: A bill that implemented new restrictions to Florida's gun laws and also allowed for the arming of teachers who were properly trained and the hiring of more school resource officers . The Broward County Sheriff's Office received widespread criticism for its handling of the police response, both for not following up on multiple warnings about Cruz despite a lengthy record of threatening behavior and for staying outside

1000-430: A civil lawsuit was filed by the families of the 52 victims alleging the school district's negligence was to blame. The money will be paid in three installments and settles 52 of the 53 lawsuits filed against the school district for negligence, although the specified amounts for each family were not released. Later in the year, it was announced that the families of the victims had reached a $ 125 to $ 130 million settlement with

1100-450: A classroom door but was unable to get inside. Cara Loughran, an injured freshman, was alongside Pollack, and Pollack covered Loughran in an attempt to shield her from the bullets. The shooter returned to the classroom and located Pollack and Loughran, discharging his weapon five more times and killing both girls. Sixteen students and one teacher were wounded in the shooting. The last victim to remain hospitalized, 15-year-old Anthony Borges,

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1200-404: A defensive infrastructure to combat terrorism are constructive, they do not address the greater issue, which is "we have a lot of really angry young men in our country and in the world." Author Dave Cullen , in his 2009 book Columbine on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and its perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold , described Harris as an "injustice collector." He expanded on

1300-401: A fire drill once per month: The following states require that schools conduct a specific number of drills over the course of the entire school year, or that a certain number of drills must be conducted within a certain period of time: The following states specify a greater frequency of fire drills at the beginning of the school year: Until regulations changed on November 1, 2010, New Jersey

1400-527: A gun. At this time, a school resource officer suggested he undergo an involuntary psychiatric examination under the provisions of the Baker Act . Two guidance counselors agreed, but a mental institution did not. State investigators reported he had depression , autism , and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, psychologist Frederick M. Kravitz later testified that Cruz was never diagnosed with autism . In their assessment, they concluded he

1500-623: A large impact from random chance, outliers , and the specific time frame chosen for analysis. The United States has had the most mass shootings of any country in the world. There were 103 deaths in mass shootings in 2021 (excluding the perpetrators) using the FBI 's definition, and 706 deaths using the Gun Violence Archive 's definition. The FBI's definition refers to "active shooter incidents" defined as "one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in

1600-423: A mass shooting can be averted. In considering the frequency of mass shootings in the United States, criminologist Peter Squires says that the individualistic culture in the United States puts the country at greater risk for mass shootings than other countries, noting that many other countries where gun ownership is high, such as Norway, Finland, Switzerland and Israel...tend to have more tight-knit societies where

1700-509: A mass shooting. It is common for mass shooting survivors to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and survivors guilt . In 2019, Sydney Aiello and Calvin Desir, both survivors of the Parkland high school shooting , committed suicide as a result of survivors guilt. Meadow Pollack was killed in the shooting and was friends with Aiello. The overwhelming majority of mass shooters in

1800-447: A means to an end, such as robbery or terrorism . Media outlets such as CNN , and some crime violence research groups such as the Gun Violence Archive , define mass shootings as involving "four or more shot (injured or killed) in a single incident, at the same general time and location, not including the shooter". Mother Jones magazine defines mass shootings as indiscriminate rampages killing three or more individuals (not including

1900-487: A mix of profound hopelessness and deep-seated resentment." Jillian Peterson , an assistant professor of criminology at Hamline University who is participating in the construction of a database on mass shooters, noted that two phenomena surface repeatedly in the statistics: hopelessness and a need for notoriety in life or in death. Notoriety was first suggested as a possible motive and researched by Justin Nutt. Nutt stated in

2000-539: A period from 1982 to 2019 involved white shooters (who are 65% of the population). According to a database compiled by Mother Jones magazine, the race of the shooters is approximately proportionate to the overall U.S. population, although Asians are overrepresented and Latinos underrepresented. In a study of 55 mass shooters from Mother Jones' mass shooting database, researchers found that 87.5 percent of perpetrators had misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated or undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric illnesses. According to

2100-818: A populated area", while the Gun Violence Archive's definition counts incidents where at least four people (excluding the perpetrator) were shot, but not necessarily killed. In a 2016 study published by criminologist Adam Lankford, it was estimated that 31 percent of all public mass shooters from 1966 to 2012 attacked in the United States, although the U.S. had less than five percent of the world's population. The study concludes that "The United States and other nations with high firearm ownership rates may be particularly susceptible to future public mass shootings, even if they are relatively peaceful or mentally healthy according to other national indicators." Criminologist Gary Kleck criticized Lankford's findings, stating

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2200-494: A professional school shooter." The person who uploaded the video to YouTube reported the comment to the FBI . According to agent Robert Lasky, the agency conducted database reviews but was unable to track down the individual who made the threatening comment. On January 5 , 2018, less than two months before the shooting, the FBI received a tip on its Public Access Line from a person who was close to Cruz. On February 16 , two days after

2300-473: A strong social bond supports people through crises, and mass killings are fewer. He is an advocate of gun control, but contends there is more to mass shootings than the prevalence of guns. The Italian Marxist academic Franco Berardi argues that the hyper-individualism , social alienation and competitiveness fomented by neoliberal ideology and capitalism creates mass shooters by causing people to "malfunction." A noteworthy connection has been reported in

2400-509: A study by The Violence Project, 42 percent of all mass shooters experienced physical or sexual abuse, parental suicide, or were victims of bullying. They also found that 72 percent of perpetrators were suicidal. In a study of 171 mass shooters who attacked in the United States from 1966 to 2019, researchers Adam Lankford and Rebecca Cowan found that although the vast majority of people with mental illness are not violent, "almost all public mass shooters may have mental health problems." They suggest

2500-623: A study funded by the National Institute of Justice , Peterson and Densley found mass shooters had four things in common: This new framework highlights the complexity of the pathway to a mass shooting, including how each one can be "socially contagious," but also provides a blueprint to prevent the next mass shooting. Each one of the four themes represents an opportunity for intervention. By mitigating contagion (validation), training in crisis intervention de-escalation (crisis), and increasing access to affordable mental healthcare (trauma),

2600-412: A variety of definitions of a mass shooting: There are also different definitions of the term mass killing: The lack of a single definition can lead to alarmism in the news media, with some reports conflating categories of different crimes. An act of mass shooting is typically defined as terrorist when it "appears to have been intended" to intimidate or to coerce people; although a mass shooting

2700-400: Is not necessarily an act of terrorism solely by itself. The perpetrator is typically but not always excluded from the body count . The number of people killed in mass shootings is difficult to determine due to the lack of a commonly agreed definition. It is also difficult to determine whether their frequency is increasing or decreasing over time, for the same reason. In addition, there is

2800-902: Is not the sole cause of mass shootings and many other factors play an important role in perpetrators' decisions to attack. Criminologist James Allen Fox said that most mass murderers do not have a criminal record, or involuntary incarceration at a mental health centre, although an article in The New York Times in December 2015 about 15 recent mass shootings found that six perpetrators had had run-ins with law enforcement, and six had mental health issues. Mass shootings can be motivated by religious extremism , political ideologies (e.g., neo-Nazism , terrorism , white supremacism ), racism , misogyny , homophobia , mental illness , and revenge against bullying , among other reasons. Forensic psychologist Stephen Ross cites extreme anger and

2900-464: Is on emotional readiness and comfort not curriculum: so there is no need for backpacks. Come ready to start the healing process and #RECLAIMTHENEST." Extra counseling and emotional support dogs were provided to students upon their return. Mass shooting Note: Varies by jurisdiction Note: Varies by jurisdiction A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers kill or injure multiple individuals simultaneously using

3000-428: Is the case in educational institutions, and also other workplaces and buildings. The frequency of such drills and what must be done during them may be laid down in statutes. In the United States, school fire drill regulations are set by individual states. While all mandate fire drills during the course of a school year, the frequency and number vary from state to state. The following states require that schools conduct

3100-525: The New York Daily News ' front-page headline "God isn't fixing this" was accompanied by "images of tweets from leading Republicans who shared their 'thoughts' and 'prayers' for the shooting victims." Since the 2014 Isla Vista killings , satirical news website The Onion has repeatedly republished the story "No Way to Prevent This", Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens with minor edits after major mass shootings, to satirise

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3200-509: The American Psychological Association published a press release , claiming that mass shooting contagion does exist and that news media and social media enthusiasts should withhold the name(s) and face(s) of the victimizer(s) when reporting a mass shooting to deny the fame the shooter(s) want to curb contagion. Some news media have weighed in on the gun control debate. After the 2015 San Bernardino attack ,

3300-509: The Gun Violence Archive 's definition. The FBI's definition refers to "active shooter incidents" defined as "one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area", while the Gun Violence Archive's definition counts incidents where at least four people (excluding the perpetrator) were shot, but not necessarily killed. Mass shootings (that occur in public locations) are usually committed by deeply disgruntled individuals who are seeking revenge as

3400-571: The Knoxville Unitarian Universalist church shooting wrote about his reaction to other mass shooting incidents. The father of a victim in a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado , wrote about witnessing other mass shootings after the loss of his son. The survivors of the 2011 Norway attacks recounted their experience to GQ magazine. In addition, one paper studied Swedish police officers' reactions to

3500-526: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 , all workplaces must have an emergency plan specifying staff actions, evacuation plans and arrangements for contacting the fire brigade . The New Zealand Fire Service requires all schools and educational facilities to carry out a fire drill (termed a trial evacuation ) at least once every six months, unless a shorter period is specified in the school's approved evacuation scheme. Schools need to give

3600-434: The 1997 Firearms Amendment Acts, which restricted or made illegal many handguns. Since then, there have been only a handful of mass shootings in the country with relatively few fatalities. The UK has also banned the private ownership of semi-automatic and automatic weapons, and introduced stringent checks before issuing permits to private citizens to own single and low cartridge shotguns. There have been two mass shootings since

3700-589: The Parkland Soccer Club. On March 7 , 2018—nearly three weeks after the shooting—she was honored by the United States women's national soccer team prior to a game in Orlando . Her teammates and family were invited to the game and presented with official jerseys that featured her name. Meadow Pollack was a senior who was shot four times. As Cruz fired into other classrooms, Pollack crawled to

3800-401: The U.S. are male, with some sources showing males account for 98 percent of mass shooters. According to Sky News, male perpetrators committed 110 out of 114 school shootings (96%) in the period 1982–2019, compared to homicides in general in the United States, where 85.3 percent of homicides were committed by males. A study by Statista showed that 65 out of 116 (56%) U.S. mass shootings in

3900-574: The U.S. between mass shootings and domestic or family violence, with a current or former intimate partner or family member killed in 76 of 133 cases (57%), and a perpetrator having previously been charged with domestic violence in 21. Some people have considered whether media attention revolving around the perpetrators of mass shootings is a factor in sparking further incidents. In response to this, some in law enforcement have decided against naming mass shooting suspects in media-related events to avoid giving them notoriety. The effects of messages used in

4000-787: The United Kingdom , which has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. As a result of the Hungerford massacre in Hungerford , England, and the Dunblane school massacre in Stirling, Scotland , the United Kingdom enacted tough gun laws and a buyback program to remove specific classes of firearms from private ownership. They included the Firearms Amendment Act 1988, which limited rifles and shotguns; and

4100-594: The United Kingdom. China's strict gun control laws have prohibited private ownership of firearms since 1951. Japan has as few as two gun-related homicides per year. These numbers include all homicides in the country, not just mass shootings. While gun violence is relatively uncommon in India due to strict gun control laws, incidents of mass shootings and violent attacks continue to occur. Mass shootings are relatively rare in Russia, but they have occurred sporadically over

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4200-714: The United States. That represents 29.7 percent. Because America had in those years approximately 4.5 percent of the world's population (according to Lott and Moody's calculations), this indicates that based on their data, the United States had more than six times its global share of public mass shooters who attacked alone (29.7/4.5 = 6.6). In a subsequent study, Lankford criticized Lott and Moody for including "attacks by terrorist organizations, genocidal militias, armed rebel groups, and paramilitary fighters" in their data and suggested they "misrepresent approximately 1,000 foreign cases from their own dataset" in other ways. Mass shootings have also been observed to be followed by an increase in

4300-410: The adjacent Building 7. After killing two staff members near the first floor stairwell, Cruz proceeded to the second floor, where he fired into two empty classrooms. On the third floor, he shot and killed five students and another staff member, who all had been stranded in the hallway; three other students and one teacher were injured. Next, he went into a teachers' lounge where he attempted to shoot out

4400-530: The ammunition magazines that he left at the school. Cruz fired 139 shots during the shooting: 70 on the first floor, 2 in the stairwell, 6 on the second floor and 61 on the third floor. At about 3:41 p.m., police stopped Cruz 2 miles (3.2 km) from the school in the Wyndham Lakes neighborhood of Coral Springs and arrested him as the suspected shooter. He was then taken to a hospital emergency room with "labored breathing." After 40 minutes, Cruz

4500-542: The award ceremony, Schamis honored victims Nicholas Dworet and Helena Ramsay, who died in her class during the shooting. Nikolas Jacob Cruz was born on September 24, 1998, in Margate, Florida , and was adopted at birth by Lynda and Roger Cruz. Both his adoptive parents died; Roger at age 67 on August 11, 2004; Lynda at age 68 on November 1, 2017, leaving Cruz orphaned three months before the shooting. Since his mother's death, he had been living with relatives and friends. At

4600-543: The building, Cruz rapidly assembled his weapon at the base of a stairwell adjacent to the first floor classrooms. As he did so, he was interrupted by a student named Christopher McKenna, whom Cruz informed: "[You'd] better get out of here, something bad's about to happen." McKenna fled the building and notified staff members of the unfolding threat. Cruz then entered the first floor hallway, where he observed three students—Martin Anguiano, Gina Montalto, and Luke Hoyer—who were in

4700-465: The building. These requests were denied by the Broward Sheriff's Office, even after the suspect was arrested. Seventeen people were killed, and seventeen more were wounded. Three of the wounded remained in a critical condition the day after the shooting, and one remained by the second day. Killed on first floor: Killed on third floor: Injured: Fourteen of

4800-579: The concept in a 2015 New Republic essay on injustice collectors, identifying several notorious killers as fitting the category, including Christopher Dorner , Elliot Rodger , Vester Flanagan , and Andrew Kehoe . Likewise, mass shooting expert and former FBI profiler Mary O'Toole also uses the phrase "injustice collector" in characterizing motives of some mass shooting perpetrators. In relation, criminologist James Alan Fox contends that mass murderers are "enabled by social isolation" and typically experience "years of disappointment and failure that produce

4900-629: The coverage of mass shootings have been studied. Researchers studied the role the coverage plays in shaping attitudes toward persons with serious mental illness and public support for gun control policies. In 2015, a paper written by a physicist and statistician, Sherry Towers , along with four colleagues was published, which proved that there is indeed mass shooting contagion using mathematical modeling . However, in 2017, Towers said in an interview that she prefers self-regulation to censorship to address this issue, just like years ago major news outlets successfully prevent copycat suicide . In 2016,

5000-538: The death penalty, and a four-month death penalty trial was expected to commence in January 2022. After suffering numerous delays, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the trial commenced on July 18, 2022. On October 13, 2022, a jury unanimously agreed that Cruz was eligible for the death penalty, but deadlocked on whether it should be imposed, resulting in a recommendation to sentence him to life imprisonment without

5100-428: The death penalty, and a four-month death penalty trial was expected to commence in January 2022. After suffering numerous delays, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the trial commenced on July 18, 2022. On October 13, 2022, a jury unanimously agreed that Cruz was eligible for the death penalty, but deadlocked on whether it should be imposed, resulting in a recommendation to sentence him to life imprisonment without

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5200-562: The department's inaction was revealed. Israel refused to resign in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, saying during an interview with CNN, "I've given amazing leadership to this agency" while denying responsibility for the actions of his deputies. This culminated in Governor Ron DeSantis removing Israel from his role as Sheriff and replacing him with Gregory Tony . On October 20, 2021, Cruz pleaded guilty to all charges and apologized for his crimes. The prosecution sought

5300-399: The fatalities died inside the building; three others died in or en route to the hospital. Geography teacher Scott Beigel was killed after he unlocked a classroom for students to enter and hide from Cruz. Aaron Feis, an assistant football coach and security guard, was killed as he entered the building in response to reports of the ongoing shooting. Chris Hixon, the school's athletic director ,

5400-602: The federal government, due to the FBI's inactivity about tips on Cruz's stated desire to commit a school attack and the weapons cache that he had. The tip had been through the FBI tip line a month prior to the shooting and detailed Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill others, erratic behavior, and social media posts, and was not followed up on by investigators. In June 2024, Cruz settled a civil lawsuit with Anthony Borges granting him rights to Cruz's name so that Cruz cannot grant interviews or make any agreement with film producers or authors without Borges' permission. Borges' lawyer said

5500-636: The fire at Our Lady of the Angels. Things such as more control over waste disposal, proper storage of combustible supplies, more frequent fire drills, and inspections were put in place. Other reforms triggered by the fire include the city of Chicago modifying the Municipal Building Code of Chicago, affecting fire safety of schools as well as other buildings with two or more stories. To prevent fires and deaths caused by fires, schools must have an evacuation plan in place, and make sure that all

5600-421: The frequency of mental health problems among mass shooters is sometimes underestimated because "many perpetrators have never been formally evaluated by a psychiatrist or mental health practitioner...and others deliberately avoid doctors, conceal their mental health problems, or lie about their symptoms due to shame, stigma, or fear of other consequences." However, Lankford and Cowan also emphasize that mental illness

5700-414: The hallway outside room 1215. All three were killed in the hallway at 2:21 p.m., with another student within the hallway, 15-year-old Ashley Baez, wounded once in her upper leg. He then fired through the windows of four closed classroom doors, killing six more students and wounding thirteen others. Two staff members were also killed on the first floor of the building. Due to gunshot reverberation within

5800-469: The hallways, the fire alarm within the building activated, causing confusion because there had been a fire drill earlier in the day. Students were unable to seek shelter at "hard corners"—areas of a classroom that people could safely hide at if a gunman peered through the window of a door—because many of the classrooms in Building 12 lacked one, and furniture otherwise obstructed potential safe spaces. As

5900-537: The hazards that allow a fire to start and grow. Within a year of the fire, many of the hazardous conditions such as found in Our Lady of the Angels had been eliminated in thousands of schools around the United States. After the fire at Our Lady of the Angels, state regulations required that there had to be fire alarm street boxes no more than 100 feet (30 m) from the front of the building. The General Assembly of Illinois also passed life safety codes in response to

6000-430: The holidays where specialist fire alarm engineers test alarms in the building for repair if needed. The purpose of fire drills in buildings is to ensure that everyone knows how to exit safely as quickly as possible if a fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, or other emergency occurs, and to familiarize building occupants with the sound of the fire alarm. Before regular fire drills were instituted, an infamous fire broke out at

6100-441: The hurricane-resistant windows facing the yard in order to target students and staff fleeing below, but failed. After he stopped shooting (possibly due to a weapon malfunction), Cruz dropped his rifle on the third floor of the building and left the scene by blending in with fleeing students. He then walked to a fast-food restaurant, stopping at a mall to get a soda on the way, and lingered before leaving on foot at 3:01 p.m. Of

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6200-665: The laws were restricted: the Cumbria shootings in 2010, which killed 13 people, including the perpetrator; and the Plymouth shooting in 2021, which killed six people, including the perpetrator. Fire drill In addition to fire drills, most buildings have their fire alarm systems checked on a regular basis to ensure that the system is working. Fire alarm tests are often done outside normal business hours so as to minimize disruption of building functions; in schools, they are often done when students and staff are not around or during

6300-426: The manufacturer of the rifle used by Cruz, and distributor Sunrise Tactical Supply, the retailer who sold Cruz the rifle, claiming damages due to "the defendant's complicity in the entirely foreseeable, deadly use of the assault-style weapons that they place on the market". Fifteen survivors sued the county, sheriff and school officials for failing to protect them, contending that the government's inadequate response to

6400-549: The notion of working for a cause – rather than mental illness – as primary explanations. A study by Vanderbilt University researchers found that "fewer than five percent of the 120,000 gun-related killings in the United States between 2001 and 2010 were perpetrated by people diagnosed with mental illness." John Roman of the Urban Institute argues that, while better access to mental health care, restricting high powered weapons, and creating

6500-634: The objective was to take power and control from Cruz so he cannot inflict further torture on his victims from jail. Cruz also agreed to donate his brain to science. On May 30, 2018, prosecutors released three videos that they claimed Cruz had recorded on his cellphone before the shooting. In the videos, Cruz appears to describe his personal feelings, his enthusiasm and plan for the shooting, his hatred of people, and how it would make him notorious. The school district provided grief counseling to students and their families. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said that funeral and counseling fees would be paid for by

6600-529: The past decade. Most of the incidents involve lone gunmen, although there have been a few cases involving multiple shooters. Mass shootings have become a common occurrence in Mexico, particularly in recent years. The country has been plagued by violence from drug cartels, which have been responsible for many of the deadliest mass shootings in Mexico's history . Brazil has one of the highest rates of gun violence in

6700-410: The perpetrator), and excluding gang violence and armed robbery. An Australian study from 2006 specifies five individuals killed. The number of people killed in mass shootings is difficult to determine due to the lack of a commonly agreed upon definition. In the United States, there were 103 deaths in mass shootings in 2021 (excluding the perpetrators) using the FBI 's definition, and 706 deaths using

6800-533: The popular consensus that there is a lack of political power in the United States to prevent mass shootings. Responses to mass shootings take a variety of forms, depending on the country and political climate. After the 1996 Port Arthur massacre , Australia changed its gun laws . In the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque shootings , New Zealand announced a ban on almost all semiautomatic military-style weapons. Mass shootings are extremely rare in

6900-644: The possibility of parole . On November 2, 2022, Cruz was sentenced to life without parole, in accordance with a Florida law requiring the court not to depart from the jury's recommendation. The unanimity required to impose the death penalty has since been overturned by a bill signed by Governor Ron DeSantis , partly as a result of Cruz's sentencing. The shooting took place during the afternoon of February 14 , 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida , an affluent suburb about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Fort Lauderdale and 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Miami . The shooter, Nikolas Cruz,

7000-533: The possibility of parole . On November 2, 2022, Cruz was sentenced to life without parole, in accordance with a Florida law requiring the court not to depart from the jury's recommendation. The unanimity required to impose the death penalty has since been overturned by a bill signed by Governor DeSantis, partly as a result of Cruz's sentencing. On May 23, 2018, the parents of victims Jaime Guttenberg and Alex Schachter sued firearm manufacturer American Outdoor Brands Corporation , formerly known as Smith & Wesson ,

7100-400: The previous decade, but this figure is in dispute. CNN used a public records request to obtain a sheriff's office log, which showed that from 2008 to 2017, at least 45 calls were made in reference to Cruz, his brother, or the family home. On February 5 , 2016, the calls included an anonymous tip that Cruz had threatened to shoot up the school, and a tip on November 30 , 2017, that he might be

7200-502: The private Catholic school Our Lady of the Angels in 1958, in Chicago . Children on the second floor were trapped there, with neither teachers nor pupils knowing how to get out of the building safely. Many children jumped out of windows, and many were killed as they could not make their way to an exit. Although the school had passed a fire inspection only two months before, and had the number of fire exits and fire extinguishers required at

7300-450: The proper fire alarms and warnings work. Teachers must take charge of the situation and act as leaders. Teachers should also consider the number of students that they have, and the need for enough space and time to get all of the students out quickly and safely. Teachers should also be alert to the causes of fires, in order to try and stop them from happening. Many jurisdictions require that fire drills be conducted at certain intervals. This

7400-497: The purchase he had similarly obtained several other firearms, including at least one shotgun and several other rifles. At the time of the shooting, in Florida, it was legal for people as young as 18 to purchase guns from federally licensed dealers, including the rifle allegedly used in the shooting. The minimum age requirement has since been raised to 21. Sheriff Scott Israel said that his office received 23 calls about Cruz during

7500-576: The purchase of weapons, but this does not seem to create an increased feeling of needing guns in either gun owners or non-owners. Even though the global COVID-19 pandemic reduced public gatherings from March 2020 onward, the number of mass shootings increased significantly over that period. It "even doubled in July 2020 compared to a year earlier". Mass shootings (and firearm deaths in general) virtually never happen in China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and

7600-462: The school district for personal injury to cover costs related to his recovery. Borges was honored with a humanitarian award at the 2018 BET Awards . Survivors of the shooting, teachers and students alike, have struggled with survivor's guilt and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). On March 17, 2019, thirteen months after the shooting, 19-year-old Sydney Aiello, who survived and whose friend Meadow Pollack had been killed during

7700-476: The school instead of immediately confronting him. This led to the resignations of several police officers who responded to the scene, and the removal of Sheriff Scott Israel . A commission appointed by then-Governor Scott to investigate the shooting condemned the police inaction and urged school districts across the state to adopt greater measures of security. On October 20, 2021, Cruz pleaded guilty to all charges and apologized for his crimes. The prosecution sought

7800-551: The seventeen fatalities, fourteen were students while three were faculty members. Two of those killed were students in Ivy Schamis' Holocaust History class; Schamis was teaching a class lesson on combating hate when Cruz fired shots into her classroom. Four students from Schamis' class were injured. According to Schamis, Cruz was unaware he was shooting into a class on the Holocaust, even though he had scrawled swastikas onto

7900-518: The shooting unfolded, a "Code Red" was still not called due to confusion among school employees over who had the authority to do so. At about 2:21 p.m., a staff member eventually activated a lockdown , but only after discovering the body of a victim and hearing gunfire. An armed school resource officer of the Broward County Sheriff's Office was on campus when the shooting broke out, and he remained outside between Building 12 and

8000-399: The shooting violated their Fourteenth Amendment right to due process . This lawsuit was dismissed in December 2018, with the judge citing prior case law in ruling that the government did not have a duty to protect the defendants from the actions of the shooter. In 2021, the families of the victims of the shooting were awarded a $ 25 million settlement from Broward County School District, after

8100-442: The shooting, died by suicide after struggling to attend college. She was terrified of being in a classroom and also had been treated for survivor's guilt and PTSD. Less than one week later, on March 23, 2019, 16-year-old Calvin Desir, another survivor of the shooting, also died by suicide. Teacher Ivy Schamis was presented with USC Shoah Foundation 's inaugural Stronger Than Hate Educator Award in 2019. During her acceptance speech at

8200-411: The shooting, the agency released a statement that detailed this information. According to the statement, "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." After conducting an investigation, the FBI said the tip line did not follow protocol when the information

8300-450: The start of the academic year. According to UK fire regulations, any new buildings that were built after the fire safety regulations changed in 2005, every room should have at least one fire alarm device such as a bell, a sounder (siren) or smoke/heat alarm installed. Regular safety checks such as testing fire alarms or smoke alarms and fire extinguishers should be performed weekly and does not require building evacuation. According to

8400-417: The state. On February 15 , police presence was increased at schools in at least two counties in Florida in response to the shooting. On February 16 , Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie announced that the building where the shooting took place would be demolished. On October 9, 2020, a replacement building was opened. The building where the shooting took place was ordered not to be demolished until

8500-451: The study merely shows a proportional relationship but fails to prove that gun ownership causes mass shootings. The backlash from economist and gun rights advocate John Lott also raised objections to Lankford's methodology and refusal to share his data. He speculated that Lankford had overlooked a significant number of mass shootings outside the U.S., which if accounted for would adjust the nation's share closer to 2.88 percent; slightly below

8600-537: The time of the shooting, he was enrolled in a GED program and employed at a local Dollar Tree . Cruz had behavioral issues since preschool, and was eligible for special education services alongside a tailor-made IEP . According to The Washington Post he was "entrenched in the process for getting students help rather than referring them to law enforcement". He was transferred between schools six times in three years in an effort to deal with these problems. Cruz returned to Stoneman Douglas High School two years later but

8700-404: The time, it lacked smoke detectors or adequate fire alarms, and was overcrowded. The need for fire drills was recognized; monthly fire drills were implemented after the Our Lady of the Angels fire. It was found in a later study that education on fire also helped to prevent it: people started to learn more about what started fires, and what to do in the case of one starting. They were also aware of

8800-407: The trial of Cruz ended, as it was declared a crime scene. The building began demolition on June 14, 2024. On February 28 , two weeks after the shooting, Stoneman Douglas reopened to students amid a heavy police presence. School principal Ty Thompson emphasized that the first week back would be focused on healing, with classes ending at 11:40 a.m. through March 2 . He tweeted "Remember our focus

8900-466: The world average. Lankford has since followed up on his research, publishing his data and clarifying that the United States from 1998 to 2012 did have more than six times its global share of public mass shooters who attacked alone, which is almost always the case with mass shooters. Using the data from Lott and Moody's 2019 study of mass shootings, Lankford explains that "41 of all 138 public mass shootings by single perpetrators worldwide were committed in

9000-611: The world, and mass shootings have become more common in recent years. In 2022, there were at least 10 mass shootings in Brazil, resulting in the deaths of over 50 people. Furthermore, In 2017, there were over 45,000 gun-related homicides countrywide. In Africa, whilst incidents of mass violence resulting from terrorism and ethnic conflict have occurred, "mass shootings" are generally understood as rare. After mass shootings, some survivors have written about their experiences and their experiences have been covered by journalists. A survivor of

9100-404: Was "at low risk of harming himself or others". He had previously received mental health treatment, but had not received treatment in the year leading up to the shooting. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel described Cruz's online profiles and accounts as "very, very disturbing". They contained pictures and posts of him with a variety of weapons, including long knives, a shotgun , a pistol , and

9200-848: Was arrested without incident approximately one hour and twenty minutes later in nearby Coral Springs . Police and prosecutors investigated "a pattern of disciplinary issues and unnerving behavior". The incident is the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in U.S. history . The shooting came at a period of heightened public support for gun control that followed mass shootings in Paradise, Nevada , and in Sutherland Springs, Texas , in October and November 2017. Students at Parkland founded Never Again MSD , an advocacy group that lobbies for gun control. On March 9 , Governor Rick Scott signed

9300-603: Was circulated, calling for him to be buried with full military honors . At their respective funerals, Wang, Alaina Petty, and Martin Duque were all posthumously honored by the U.S. Army with the ROTC Medal for Heroism , and Wang was buried in his JROTC Blues uniform. On February 20 , he was given a rare posthumous admission to the United States Military Academy . Alyssa Alhadeff was the captain of

9400-409: Was discharged from hospital on April 4 . Dubbed "the real Iron Man ", Borges was shot five times after he used his body to barricade the door of a classroom where twenty students were inside. Upon his release, Borges issued a statement that criticized the actions of Broward Sheriff's deputies, Sheriff Scott Israel, and School Superintendent Robert Runcie. His family has filed notice of its intent to sue

9500-442: Was dropped off at the school by an Uber driver at 2:19 p.m., 20 minutes before dismissal time. According to a police report, Cruz was carrying a rifle case and a backpack. An AR-15–style semi-automatic rifle and multiple magazines were concealed within the backpack. He was spotted and recognized by a campus monitor who radioed a colleague that he was walking "purposefully" toward Building 12. The campus monitor did not declare

9600-624: Was expelled in 2017 for disciplinary reasons. As he could not be expelled from the Broward County School system completely, he was transferred to alternative placement. A former classmate said Cruz had anger management issues and often joked about guns and gun violence, which included threats of shooting up establishments. The Florida Department of Children and Families investigated him in September 2016 for Snapchat posts in which he cut both his arms and said he planned to buy

9700-416: Was killed as he ran toward the sound of the gunfire and tried to help fleeing students. Student Peter Wang was last seen in his Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) uniform, holding doors open so others could get out more quickly; Wang was unable to flee with the students when Cruz appeared and fatally shot him. Commentators commended his actions and described him as a hero. A White House petition

9800-581: Was not forwarded to the Miami Field Office, where investigative steps would have been taken. The FBI opened a probe into the tip line's operations. The lack of response by Israel and other members of the Broward County Sheriff's Office to the numerous red flags and warnings about Cruz has been the subject of scrutiny. In the days following the shooting, calls for Israel’s resignation intensified as more information that alluded to

9900-511: Was released back into police custody and booked into the Broward County Jail. The shooting lasted for about six minutes in total, and all of the victims were shot within just under four minutes. School surveillance camera video showed Cruz as the shooter, and he was also recognized by eyewitnesses. While SWAT paramedics were inside the building, additional paramedics from the local Fire-Rescue department repeatedly requested to enter

10000-399: Was unique in its requirement that schools conduct 2 fire drills per month. Under later requirements, one of the 2 fire drills was replaced by a monthly security drill. The National Union of Teachers requires that all schools, colleges and universities and any other education establishment perform a fire evacuation drill every term. It is required that most schools perform a fire drill at

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