Florida state lawmakers on Sunday called on Gov. Rick Scott (R) to suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel for his department’s handling of the shooting at a local high school that left 17 people dead.
In a letter to the governor, Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R) laid out a series of instances in which Israel’s office failed to address warning signs and reports about 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who police say opened fire on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The letter, which is signed by 73 other Republican lawmakers, also notes that a sheriff’s deputy assigned to the high school remained outside during the shooting. That deputy, Scot Peterson, resigned last week after an internal review.
“Sheriff Israel failed to maintain a culture of alertness, vigilance, and thoroughness amongst his deputies. Sheriff Israel failed to fulfill his duty to ensure that all of his deputies have the necessary active shooter tactical training. As a result of Sheriff Israel’s failures, students and teachers died,” the letter states.
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