President Trump on Thursday suggested mental illness played a role in a shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 dead.
“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” Trump tweeted.
“Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
{mosads}Authorities said Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., killing 17 and wounding many others. Cruz was taken into custody shortly after the shooting.
The Miami Herald reported that the suspect previously attended the school, and had been flagged as a potential threat. Cruz was reportedly kicked out of school after he brought ammunition with him in his backpack, and spoke frequently about guns and knives.
Cruz had no previous arrests, the Herald reported.
Trump on Wednesday offered his prayers and condolences to the victims’ families, saying “no child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.”
As reports of the death toll came in, a number of Democrats called on Congress to act to curb gun violence, while Republicans shared their thoughts and prayers with the victims and their families.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) warned against making assumptions about a cause for the shooting.
“I think it’s important to know all of that before you jump to conclusions that there was some law that we could have passed that would have prevented it. And there may be, but shouldn’t we at least know the facts?” Rubio said on Fox News.