The FBI has admitted that they received a tip which could have prevented the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. but failed to act on it.
In a statement released on Friday, the FBI admitted that it had received a tip on Jan. 5 from someone close to shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz. The person behind the tip had "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," according to the statement. Although they acknowledged that the tip should have passed on to the Miami field office for investigation, it was not and no further investigative actions were taken on the matter.
"I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter, as well as reviewing our processes for responding to information that we receive from the public," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. "It’s up to all Americans to be vigilant, and when members of the public contact us with concerns, we must act properly and quickly."
He added, "We have spoken with victims and families, and deeply regret the additional pain this causes all those affected by this horrific tragedy. All of the men and women of the FBI are dedicated to keeping the American people safe, and are relentlessly committed to improving all that we do and how we do it."
The FBI also acknowledged on Thursday that it had been warned about a possible school shooter who went by the name "Nikolas Cruz" in a YouTube comments section, according to CNN. It is unclear whether this was the same Nikolas Cruz who is believed to have committed the Parkland shooting.
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