The Parkland massacre had sparked nationwide protests across the US against lax gun laws, led by high school students. The topic is still relevant – now the shooter is on trial.
WASHINGTON – More than four years after a school massacre in the US state of Florida, a court will decide whether the perpetrator should be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.
On Monday, the jury was sworn in in the Broward County court, as reported by the “New York Times” and the broadcaster CNN, among others. The 23-year-old suspect, named Nicolas Cruz, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and attempted murder last October.
The jury has yet to decide whether the then 19-year-old shooter should be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty for his crime at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Florida prosecutors are calling for his execution. CNN reported that if the 12 jurors recommended the death penalty, they would have to do so as a body. In the end, Judge Elizabeth Scherer will decide whether to follow the recommendation. The process is expected to take several months.
Parkland students started movement
At the hearing last October, according to video footage, Cruz said, “I’m very sorry for what I did – and I live with it every day.” Young people and three adults shot dead and others injured. After the bloodbath, surviving students started protests against gun violence and for stricter gun laws in the United States, which became a nationwide movement. However, firearms are still readily available in the United States.
School massacres are common in the United States. In May, an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, before being shot dead by police. An investigation report published on Sunday revealed “systemic failures” by the police during the operation. dpa
