Parkland shooting: Nikolas Cruz’s brother ‘pleased’ with guilty plea as survivor calls for gun control measures

Nikolas Cruz’s brother has said he is “pleased” with his sibling’s guilty plea on all charges for the 2018 Parkland school shooting, while a survivor of the massacre renewed calls for gun control.

Zachary Cruz shared his relief on Wednesday asNikolas Cruz entered his plea on 34 counts — 17 for first-degree murder and 17 for first-degree attempted murder — stemming from the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School nearly four years ago.

“I am pleased that my brother is taking responsibility for his actions. The fact that he is doing so without a deal in place tells me he is sincere,” he told The Sun.

“I pray for the victims and their families every day and I hope they find some peace.”

Survivor David Hogg, who was months away from graduation at the time of the shooting and went on to become a fierce advocate for gun control, referenced Cruz’s plea on Twitter and issued a reminder that gun violence “is a choice.”

“Our country does not have to live every single day with millions of parents fearing that their kids are going to die on their way to school or in their school,” Mr Hogg said in a video.

“It is 100 per cent a choice that so many of our elected officials make to protect somebody’s right — like the shooter at my high school, to get an AR-15 and legally obtain it, despite making threats — versus our right ... not to be shot.”

After Cruz entered his plea, former Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz read through a lengthy description of his attack, the deadliest school shooting in US history. Mr Satz noted the name of each victim wounded or killed over the course of the rampage.

Cruz then addressed the court to apologise to the victims and their families. “I am very sorry for what I did and I have to live with it every day,” he said. “I have to live with this every day, and it brings me nightmares that I can’t live with myself sometimes but I try to push through.”

His brother said that while he is happy with the guilty plea, he is still “very concerned” by the actions of the Broward County School District and Department of Children and Families (DCF).

He accused both agencies of “[continuing] to skirt responsibility for the tragedy at Parkland” and said: “My regret today is that DCF and Broward schools have evaded yet another opportunity for the public to learn the truth.”

Zachary Cruz demanded that DCF “explain why they came to my mom’s hospital room when she died but then didn’t check to make sure my brother and I were taken to a safe place.”

He added: “I also think DCF and Broward schools must answer for dumping my brother when they knew he needed services and they knew he’d be dangerous without them.”

The brothers were adopted by Roger and Lynda Cruz 17 years ago but both are now dead. Nikolas Cruz went to live with another family when his mother died in November 2017.

Broward County Sheriffs were called to the Cruz home at least 19 times in relation to Nikolas Cruz and 25 times in relation to Zachary between 2008 and 2017.

On 14 February 2018, Cruz stormed into Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School armed with a semiautomatic rifle and shot 34 students and teachers, killing 17.

A 12-person jury will ultimately decide his fate during a penalty trial.

He faces a minimum sentence of life in prison without parole and a maximum of penalty of death for each first-degree murder charge.

Prosecutors can use the attempted murder charges and the additional murder charges as aggravating factors at his sentencing hearing.