PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the deadly shooting at a Florida high school (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
A grand jury is likely to begin considering formal charges next week against the man accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school on Valentine’s Day.
In Broward County, grand juries typically begin hearing high-profile cases within 21 days of the suspect’s arrest.
The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, is in jail, charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder.
A 15-year-old survivor of the shooting is seeking a potential share of any inheritance Cruz may get from his deceased mother. Attorney Alex Arreaza said Anthony Borges plans to file a lawsuit and wants standing as a creditor in the Cruz inheritance case. Borges was shot five times and faces enormous medical bills.
It’s not clear how much money is available. Cruz’s mother died in November; his father died in 2004.
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2:55 p.m.
Resuming classes two weeks after a mass shooting at a Florida high school has been a traumatic adjustment for some parents of children who survived the tragedy.
Melissa Broccoli and Christine Dunhill were shaking as they reunited Thursday at their usual pick-up spot outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
They hadn’t seen each other since Feb. 14, when they believe shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz drove past them in an Uber onto campus shortly before the scheduled dismissal time. The women said they had felt helpless during the shooting and they were trying to be strong for their children.
Meanwhile, the father and brother of a 14-year-old girl killed at the school pushed Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee to pass Gov. Rick Scott’s proposals for school safety.
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2:05 p.m.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott brought the father and brother of a 14-year-old girl killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to the House and Senate floor to help push his school safety and gun proposals over those lawmakers are considering.
Ryan Petty told lawmakers Thursday that his daughter Alaina loved community service, and asked them to put politics aside and pass Scott’s proposal.
Among the major differences between the governor’s plan and House and Senate bills is that Scott doesn’t want a program that would allow school districts to arm teachers if they’ve undergone law enforcement training. Scott’s proposal also has broader language aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of people who’ve shown violent behavior or signs of mental illness.
The national debate over school safety and gun control has been reignited since a gunman killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day.
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12:50 p.m.
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin says the state should consider allowing some people to carry guns in public schools.
The Republican governor’s comments to WKDZ radio Thursday come a month after a school shooting in western Kentucky killed two teenagers and wounded more than a dozen others. They also come two weeks after a gunman killed 17 people at a high school in Florida.
Bevin says anyone allowed to be armed in a school should first undergo training and psychological testing to ensure they’re ready to handle the responsibility.
Bevin says he’s meeting with legislative leaders to discuss school safety.
A legislative committee on Thursday approved a resolution urging local school boards to allow teachers or other school employees to carry guns if they volunteer and are properly trained.
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10 a.m.
A court hearing about a potential inheritance for the man accused in the Florida high school massacre has been canceled.
The hearing scheduled for Thursday morning in Broward County probate court was canceled at an attorney’s request. Nineteen-year-old Nikolas Cruz could face the death penalty if convicted of 17 counts of murder in the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
His mother, Lynda Cruz, died in November. His father died in 2004. A family friend, Rocxanne Deschamps, has sought to become administrator of the estate for Cruz and his younger brother. Cruz lived with Deschamps briefly after his mother died.
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11:10 p.m.
Florida students who returned to school two weeks after a mass shooting say they were haunted by fresh memories, but heartened by an outpouring of support.
The hundreds of police officers on hand at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday brought comfort dogs, a donkey, and horses. A nearby woman held a sign offering “free kisses.” After school dismissed, members of the Guardian Angels lined the streets at a crosswalk.
But the students say they also were haunted by flashbacks.
Aria Siccone was plagued by the image of a terrified boy who knocked on the door of her locked classroom as the gunman began firing. The boy was fatally shot.
Police say 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 14 students and three staff members at the school on Feb. 14.
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Follow the AP’s complete coverage of the Florida school shooting here: https://apnews.com/tag/Floridaschoolshooting .
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