Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Brother of Parkland Shooter Arrested for Trespassing on Stoneman Douglas School Grounds

Brother of Parkland Shooter Arrested for Trespassing on Stoneman Douglas School Grounds
Inside Edition/YouTube

A young man was arrested for trespassing on the grounds of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High, the school where, on February 14, gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire and killed 17 people. Adding further controversy to the incident, the trespasser was Cruz's younger brother, 18-year-old Zachary Cruz. Though he doesn't attend the school, Cruz told authorities he visited the site to "reflect on the school shooting and to soak it in."


Regardless of who the trespasser was, many are concerned about the apparent lack of security at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High.

Cruz was found on school ground around 4:30pm, after students had been dismissed for the day. He was observed by 4 campus security guards on the school's closed circuit TV cameras, and quickly apprehended.

Some parents were understandably on edge when they heard about another trespasser on their child's campus, however. In an email, Dr. John Crescitelli, whose daughter attends MSDH, was fuming:

I just read the reports regarding Zachary Cruz just cruising onto the campus riding his skate board to "reflect on the shootings and soak it in." ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I want answers ASAP. This may just have been a simple act of trespassing, but I want to know how long he was on campus and were all of his actions recorded?

Crescietelli happens to be the same parent and gun-owner who wrote an Op-Ed for the Miami Herald calling for stricter gun-control. In the article, he wrote:

I own a gun for self-defense. But no one needs a military-style semi-automatic assault rifle like the AR-15 used in the Parkland attack. These guns are widely popular because they've been glorified on television shows, YouTube videos and violent video games. Many "normal" Americans are proud gun-rights advocates and closet AR-15 owners. They really enjoy shooting these weapons in a safe, controlled environment such as a gun range. They are not sick or deranged. They have never shown any aggressive tendencies that would suggest a capacity to harm another human being.

But it still doesn't mean they or anyone else should own one. Easy access to these weapons not only endangers the lives of the public but also poses a real threat to law enforcement.

The shooting in Parkland is seen as the birth of the #NeverAgain movement, led by students from MSDH, which is urging lawmakers to enact stricter gun control measures in the U.S.

Before anyone jumped to conclusions, people on Twitter made sure Zachary wasn't judged for his brother's crimes.

Zachary, like his older brother, used to attend Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High, but is held in a far different regard than Nikolas. While Nikolas was often described as "depressed, obsessed with firearms, and ostracized by peers," Zachary was more often thought of as "nice, quiet, and a talented skateboarder."

The pair were brothers through adoption, after being taken in by a Parkland couple, Lynda and Roger Cruz. Roger passed away in 2004, and Lynda was overcome by a respiratory illness this past November, 2017, leaving the two boys in the care of a former neighbor, Roxanne Deschamps. Though Zachary still lives with Deschamps, Nikolas stopped living in the home after a heated fight over his possession of guns.

Fortunately, it seems Zachary Cruz was given a minor sentence for a minor crime.

More from Trending

Lucy Dacus (L) reacts to Janelle Monáe's (R) time travel story
Rolling Stone/YouTube

Lucy Dacus reacts to Janelle Monáe

In June 1972, music icon David Bowie released his fifth studio album—and apparently, a time-traveling Janelle Monáe was there to witness it.

At least, that’s how they described it in a new Rolling StoneMusicians on Musicians” interview with Boygenius guitarist Lucy Dacus. During their conversation, Monáe casually claimed to have “traveled back into the 1970s” to see Bowie perform The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, calling it “incredible.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Mike Johnson; Hakeem Jeffries
@atrupar/X; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Mike Johnson Slammed After Downplaying Arrest Of Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioter Who Plotted To Kill Hakeen Jeffries

House Speaker Mike Johnson was criticized after he deflected to call out Democrats and downlayed the arrest of Christopher Moynihan, a January 6 rioter who was pardoned earlier this year by President Donald Trump, over his threat to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

New York State Police arrested the 34-year-old Moynihan after being alerted by the FBI that he had allegedly made threats to kill a member of Congress. According to court documents, Moynihan’s arrest followed a series of text messages in which he allegedly threatened the life of Jeffries, writing, “I will kill him for the future.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Suni Lee at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Dimitrios Kambouris/Victoria's Secret/Getty Images

Fans Back Suni Lee After She Asks Trolls To Stop 'Bullying' Her Over Her Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Debut

Olympic gymnast Suni Lee made waves with her performances on the beam and on the gymnastics floor, and now she's making waves on the runway with the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

But not all of the attention Lee received was positive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; part of the ongoing White House demolition
Patrick J. Fallon/Getty Images; Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Makes Perfect Analogy After Photos Of Trump Tearing Down Part Of White House Emerge

California Governor Gavin Newsom said President Donald Trump is doing to the White House what he's doing to the U.S. Constitution after photos of construction on the White House to build his new ballroom went viral

Earlier this week, The Washington Post published photos showing construction crews demolishing parts of the East Wing, actions that have stunned preservationists and fueled criticism that Trump was overstepping his authority to advance a personal project. A White House spokesperson said the administration plans to “modernize and rebuild” the East Wing in its entirety.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rina Sawayama; Sabrina Carpenter on 'Saturday Night Live'; Sabrina Carpenter
Stephane Cardinale-Corbis/Corbis/Getty Images; Saturday Night Live; Taylor Hill/WireImage/Getty Images

Japanese Singer Calls Out Sabrina Carpenter For Cultural Appropriation In 'SNL' Performance

Sabrina Carpenter returned to Saturday Night Live this past weekend and turned heads with her performance of "Nobody's Son," and not just because of the insane breath control and enunciation the song requires.

The song was staged with a Japanese martial arts-inspired theme. The stage was set as a Japanese dojo with a backdrop of shoji, which are panels made from translucent paper, and on the floor were traditional-looking tatami, which are soft floor mats that a person is meant to either walk barefoot on or with special indoor slippers.

Keep ReadingShow less