FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the school shootings in Parkland, Fla. (all times local):
1:15 p.m.
Families of the slain victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, told a state commission they were notified their loved ones had been killed in ways that were often confusing and lacking in sympathy or empathy.
The families of four victims on Wednesday told a state commission investigating the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School they waited hours before being told about the death of their spouse or child.
Others said no one appeared to be in charge of the family notifications.
Debbie Hixon says she first learned of her husband’s death from text messages offering condolences.
Authorities say former student Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 17 people at the school on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
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11:55 a.m.
Families of the slain victims and survivors of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida say they initially had no plans to sue the school board or sheriff’s office, since those agencies had promised to reach a financial settlement with them.
They said Wednesday they changed their minds after discovering the sheriff’s office and school board were working behind the scenes to prevent any settlement from being approved by the Florida Legislature.
The families and survivors filed 22 lawsuits against those agencies, a deputy and a school monitor, claiming their negligence allowed the massacre to happen.
Also named was a mental health facility that had treated suspect Nikolas Cruz, who is accused of fatally shooting 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
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10:05 a.m.
Survivors and family members of the slain victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, are suing the school district, the sheriff’s office, a deputy and a school monitor, claiming their negligence allowed the massacre to happen.
The lawsuits will be filed in state court in South Florida on Wednesday morning, following a news conference.
Authorities say former student Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
The lawsuits name as defendants the School Board of Broward County; the Broward Sheriff’s Office; former deputy Scott Peterson, who was a school resource officer; Andrew Medina, who was a school security monitor; and Henderson Behavioral Health Clinic, a mental health facility where Cruz was treated.
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