The U.S. government is expected to pay damages totalling about $130 million to the families of victims of the fatal shooting at a Florida high school in 2018.
According to Kristina Infante, a lawyer for the next of kin, the government has reached a provisional settlement with the parents of the killed students, who had filed a lawsuit.
“While nothing can restore what the families have lost, this settlement represents an important step towards justice,” Infante said in a statement on Monday.
On February 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz shot and killed 14 students and three employees at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Seventeen others were injured. It was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Cruz pleaded guilty last month. With the plea, he hopes to avoid the death penalty.
Parents of the victims filed a lawsuit in 2018. According to them, the FBI national investigation has been negligent in mishandling warnings about Cruz that came in through a tip line. The FBI’s tip line reportedly reported that Cruz expressed a desire to carry out a school shooting. Tips about his growing weapon collection had also come in.
The killings sparked a national student-led movement for tougher gun laws and greater safety in schools.
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