On Feb 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, killing 17 and wounding 17 people. According to Sophia Zuniga’s case study, the gunman purchased the gun a year ago before the shooting. He was expelled from the school five months ago. Within 7 minutes, he entered and exited the school while police entered after he left.
Cruz had shown radical and mentally ill behavior in school, resulting in intervention by the social services and behavioral health clinic. However, they dismissed his risk to the community. During the rollout of the event, Broward Health North Hospital has shown acceptable reactions since the hospital was current with an active shooter drill and simulation test. In managing the event, the police response was criticized where protocols were not followed.
Following the event, there were mass protests across the country and at the local level, calling for gun reform. Sophia Zuniga also points out that the gaps in active-shooter plans and the role of law enforcement in shootings need to be addressed in this case study.