Documents show some officials were so concerned about the mental stability of Nikolas Cruz, the former student accused of last month's Florida high school rampage, that they decided he should be forcibly committed in 2016. But the recommendation was never acted upon.
The documents in the criminal case against Nikolas Cruz, which were obtained by The Associated Press, show school officials and Broward Sheriff's Deputy Scot Peterson, who has been accused of cowardice for failing to act during the shooting, recommended in September 2016 that Cruz be involuntarily committed for a mental evaluation.
The documents are part of Cruz's criminal case in the shooting. They also show that he had written the word "kill" in a notebook, told a classmate that he wanted to buy a gun and use it, and had cut his arm supposedly in anger because he had broken up with a girlfriend. He also told another student he had drunk gasoline and was throwing up. Calls had even been made to the FBI about the possibility of Cruz using a gun at school.
Cruz, 19, is charged in a 34-count indictment with killing 17 people and wounding 17 others in the attack. He faces the death penalty if convicted, but his public defender Melisa McNeill has said he would plead guilty in return for a life prison sentence.
