FILE – In this Jan. 16, 2019, file photo, Parkland school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz sits during a status hearing at the Broward Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The potential death penalty murder case against Cruz is moving slowly and could take years. (John McCall/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — 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.
By KELLI KENNEDY and TERRY SPENCER
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