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[1/2] Judge Elizabeth Scherer reads the verdict in the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., October 13, 2022. Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoJuly 25 (Reuters) - Florida's top court has publicly reprimanded the judge who presided over the trial of Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018, for appearing partial to the prosecution. Monday's decision by the Florida Supreme Court came after the 15-member Judicial Qualifications Commission concluded in June that Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer violated judicial conduct rules during last year's trial. Her decision to hug members of the prosecution and the victims’ families in the courtroom after sentencing Cruz in November prompted the Florida Supreme Court to remove her from another death penalty case involving a different defendant, Randy Tundidor, in April. Scherer admitted her treatment of defense lawyers was times not patient or dignified, though she said she offered to embrace defense counsel too, according to court records.

Persons: Elizabeth Scherer, Marjory Stoneman, Nikolas Cruz, Amy Beth Bennett, Cruz, Scherer, Randy Tundidor, Nate Raymond, William Maclean Organizations: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida Supreme, Broward, Circuit, Parkland, Thomson Locations: Broward, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, U.S, South, Parkland, Florida, Boston

CNN —A jury has acquitted on all counts the former school resource officer who stayed outside during the February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – absolving him of wrongdoing in the rare trial of a law enforcement officer for his response to a mass shooting. His attorney argued the then-Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy didn’t enter the building under attack because he couldn’t tell where the shots were coming from. And even if Peterson had known where the shooter was, speculation he could have made a difference is false, Eiglarsh argued. Eiglarsh emphasized Peterson was at the scene for the last 4 minutes and 15 seconds of the shooting, which lasted about 6 1/2 minutes. Peterson also arrived at the scene without a bulletproof vest or rifle and called for measures to lock down the school, the attorney told jurors.

Persons: Marjory Stoneman, Scot Peterson, “ I’ve, ” Peterson, Peterson, didn’t, Scott Beigel, Meadow Pollack, Jaime Guttenberg, Cara Loughran, Joaquin Oliver, Peter Wang, Stacey Lippel, Anthony Borges, Kyle Laman, Marian Kabachenko, Peterson “, Kristen Gomes, Mark Eiglarsh, Amy Beth Bennett, AP Peterson, ” Eiglarsh, Eiglarsh, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward, Broward County Sheriff’s, Broward Sheriff’s, BSO, Parkland Locations: Parkland , Florida, Broward County, Coral Springs, Florida

☆ Jury acquits former Florida deputy of failing to protect students in Parkland school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

June 29 (Reuters) - A Florida jury on Thursday acquitted a former sheriff's deputy accused of failing to protect students during the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. After the verdict, Peterson told reporters at the courthouse that he would like to talk to the parents of students who lost their lives in the shooting. Peterson was armed but never went inside while the shooting was underway, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and surveillance video. A jury in October spared Nikolas Cruz, the gunman in the Parkland shooting, from the death penalty, instead calling for life in prison without possibility of parole. In May, the United States marked the one-year anniversary of the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, in which a gunman in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.

Persons: Parkland's Marjory Stoneman, Scot Peterson, Peterson, Tony Montalto, Gina, Montalto, Nikolas Cruz, Julia Harte, Deepa Babington Organizations: Parkland's, Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward State Attorney’s Office, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Police, Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomson Locations: Florida, Broward County, Parkland, United States, Uvalde , Texas

☆ Jury Acquits Deputy Who Failed to Confront Parkland Gunman
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Patricia Mazzei | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former Florida sheriff’s deputy who failed to confront the gunman at a Parkland high school five years ago, and instead backed away from the building while the students and teachers inside endured a deadly barrage, was found not guilty of child neglect and other crimes on Thursday. When Mr. Peterson’s behavior was revealed after the shooting, critics — including some fellow police officers — painted him as being too scared to face a heavily armed gunman. His actions outraged the Parkland community, and Mr. Peterson was cast as the central character in a morality tale about cowardice and law enforcement’s duty to protect children. The gunman was sentenced last year to life in prison. Mr. Peterson was the lone armed resource officer assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre.

Persons: Scot Peterson, —, Peterson, Marjory Stoneman Organizations: Broward County sheriff’s, ”, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Locations: Florida, Parkland, Broward County, Broward

☆ Trial opens for former Florida deputy in Parkland school shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People attend a memorial service on the five-year anniversary since gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School killing 14 students and three staff members, in Parkland, Florida, U.S., February 14, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File PhotoJune 7 (Reuters) - Florida prosecutors and defense attorneys will make opening statements on Wednesday in the trial of a former sheriff's deputy charged with failing to protect students as the 2018 mass shooting unfolded at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Peterson never went inside while the shooting was underway, according to the Broward County Sheriff's Office and surveillance video. A jury in October spared Nikolas Cruz, the gunman in the Parkland shooting, from the death penalty, instead calling for life in prison without possibility of parole. In May, the United States marked the one-year anniversary of the deadliest U.S. school shooting in nearly a decade, in which a gunman in Uvalde, Texas killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.

Persons: Nikolas Cruz, Marjory Stoneman, Marco Bello, Scot Peterson, Peterson, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, REUTERS, Broward County Sheriff's Office, Police, Texas Department of Public Safety, Thomson Locations: Parkland , Florida, U.S, Florida, Broward County, Parkland, United States, Uvalde , Texas

☆ Former Florida Deputy Goes on Trial for Not Confronting Parkland Gunman
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jane Musgrave | Matthew Rosenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The deputy, Scot Peterson, served as the school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at the time of the shootings in 2018. For not confronting the gunman, he is facing 10 charges, including seven counts of child neglect — a rare prosecution of a law enforcement officer involved in the response to a mass shooting. In opening statements, the prosecution repeatedly noted that after arriving at the scene on the afternoon of Feb. 14, Mr. Peterson stayed in a stairway of an adjacent school building while the shootings took place in Building 1200. “The defendant will never leave that alcove while the shooter is in that building,” said Steven Klinger, an assistant state attorney in Broward County. “In fact, he doesn’t leave it for 30 or 40 minutes when everything is finished.”

Persons: Scot Peterson, Marjory Stoneman, Peterson, “, ”, Steven Klinger Organizations: Wednesday, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Locations: Parkland, Fla, Broward County, “

☆ Former Florida Deputy on Trial for Not Confronting Parkland Gunman
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jane Musgrave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Opening statements are expected to begin Wednesday in the trial of the school resource officer on duty at the time of the attack, Scot Peterson, who faces 10 charges, including seven counts of child neglect, for not confronting the gunman. A conviction of a member of law enforcement for inaction during a mass shooting could have sweeping repercussions for policing in Florida and beyond, legal experts say. Mr. Peterson faces a decades-long prison sentence on the accusation that he failed in his role as a caregiver for the students. Mr. Peterson was the first officer on the scene, and by his own account he did not rush into Building 1200 at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, where the gunman killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. He instead took cover in the stairway of an adjacent building, and has said he was unsure where the shots were coming from and feared that a sniper was firing from outside.

Persons: Scot Peterson, Peterson, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Organizations: Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School Locations: Parkland, Fla, Florida

☆ Members of Gen Z were born between 1997 and 2012. Here are 7 events that have defined their lives so far.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Elana Klein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Here are some of the generation-defining events that have had a profound effect on Gen Z. As Business Insider previously reported, Gen Z was established as a generation in 2019 by the Pew Research Center, which defines generations — such as Gen Z, Millennials, and Baby Boomers — to understand how perspectives and views change, rather than to create strict categories that define people. Here are some cultural events that have shaped the attitudes and tendencies of members of Gen Z. The recession of 2008 showed Gen Z 'the fragility inherent in the system'Members of Gen Z were children, or babies, during the Great Recession, so it hung over their formative years. Instead of looking ahead to a world of opportunities, Gen Z now peers into an uncertain future," the report continued.

Persons: Gen Z, —, Gen, Jean Guerrero, Zers, Aaron Klein, Chelsea Guglielmino, Marjory Stoneman, Donald Trump, Mark Makela, Guerrero, Olivia Julianna, Matt Gaetz, Z, George Floyd The, George Floyd —, Gen Z's, Sara Fischer, Axios Organizations: Service, Pew Research Center, Los Angeles Times, USA, Pew Research, Brookings Institution, Morning, Chelsea, Columbine High School, Washington Post, New York Times, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, LA Times, Trump, trolled, Social Locations: New York, —, Washington, lockdowns, Parkland , Florida, Texas, Minneapolis

☆ DeSantis signs bill to lower bar on death sentence in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Three jurors voted against a death sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, leaving Cruz to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. "Once a defendant in a capital case is found guilty by a unanimous jury, one juror should not be able to veto a capital sentence," he said in a statement. Florida prosecutors trying capital felony cases would need to convince a supermajority, or two-thirds, of a 12-member jury panel that someone who is convicted deserves the death penalty. It would have no effect on the requirement for a jury's unanimous vote to convict a defendant. Florida joins Alabama as the only states where a unanimous jury decision is not required, the Death Penalty Information Center noted.

☆ Florida to allow death penalty with 8-4 jury vote instead of unanimously
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

If the Republican governor signs the bill into law, Florida prosecutors trying capital felony cases would need to convince only two-thirds of the 12-member jury that someone who is convicted deserves the death penalty, rather than a unanimous decision by a jury. It would have no effect on the requirement for a jury's unanimous vote to convict a defendant. Three jurors voted to spare Cruz, and by default his sentence was life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. If the bill becomes law, Florida would join Alabama as the only states where a unanimous jury decision is not required, the center noted. In 2017, Florida passed a law that required death penalties to be imposed only after a unanimous recommendation by a jury.

[1/3] Flowers decorate the fence around the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs where 26 people were killed a week earlier on Nov. 5, 2017, as the church opens to the public as a memorial to those killed, in Sutherland Springs, Texas, U.S. November 12, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File PhotoCompanies The United States Department Of Justice FollowApril 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice reached a $144.5 million settlement with survivors and families of victims of the 2017 mass shooting at a Texas church that killed 26 people, for which a judge had found the Air Force primarily responsible. Wednesday's settlement with more than 75 plaintiffs requires approval by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio. It would end the government's appeal of Rodriguez's order that it pay approximately $230 million over the Nov. 5, 2017 massacre by former Air Force airman Devin Patrick Kelley at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. "No words or amount of money can diminish the immense tragedy of the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs," Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement.

☆ The father of a Parkland shooting victim called Ron DeSantis 'pathetic and 'small-minded' for signing Florida's new concealed carry law. He says the bill 'guarantees' there will be more dead children.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis quietly removed the need for training or background checks to carry concealed firearms. Guttenberg's 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting. Ron DeSantis' new law that allows Floridians to carry concealed firearms without a permit. "Ron DeSantis today put his signature to a bill that guarantees there will be more Jaimes." The permitless concealed carry law DeSantis signed on Monday will take effect from July 1.

☆ Rep. Andy Ogles defends his gun-filled family Christmas message after Nashville shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Andy Ogles defended his gun-filled Christmas message after Nashville's school shooting. A reporter for Sky News asked Ogles if he regretted "parading" his family "wielding weapons " on the Christmas message. "Why would I regret taking a family photo with my family and exercising my Constitutional rights?" After the shooting, Ogles posted a statement on Twitter, saying he and his family were "devastated by the tragedy." Asked about the message on NBC's Today show, Nashville Mayor John Cooper said the Ogles' Christmas message isn't "appropriate."

☆ Factbox: Major school shootings in the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 27 (Reuters) - A 28-year-old woman shot dead three children and three adults at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on Monday, before police killed her. SANDY HOOK: Dec. 14, 2012 - A man shoots dead his mother, then kills 20 children and six adults before killing himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. UVALDE: May 24, 2022 - A man fatally shoots 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas before he was shot dead by Border Patrol agents. PARKLAND: Feb. 14, 2018 - A former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, opens fire with an assault-style rifle, killing 17 students and educators. He is fatally shot by police.

The planned closure of the plant has left dozens of Virginia chicken growers scrambling to find new buyers in a region with few other options. Tyson alerted Virginia farmers by phone on March 13 and later by mail that it will shut its Glen Allen plant on May 12, according to three poultry farmers who supply the plant. The USDA, which enforces the PSA, told Reuters it is "closely monitoring" Tyson's planned plant closure. 'WE'RE DONE'Under normal circumstances, Tyson supplies farmers with chicks, while farmers assume the costs of land and chicken houses. On Monday, about 20 Tyson farmers and local government officials gathered in a fire station in Burkeville, Virginia, and raised concerns about Tyson's short timeline for closure of the plant, attendees said.

☆ Parkland parents forcibly removed, arrested at U.S. House hearing on gun control
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - The parents of one of the 17 people killed in a 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, were forcibly removed on Thursday from a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on guns, videos showed. Manuel Oliver was pinned to the ground outside the hearing and arrested by Capitol Hill Police. His wife, Patricia Oliver, was also removed from the hearing by police. The Olivers' son, Joaquin, was 17 when he was killed by a mass shooter at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School. The incident led to a mass movement among youth and parents of gun violence victims to push for stricter gun laws in the United States.

March 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld a Florida law barring people under age 21 from buying a gun, rejecting a challenge by the National Rifle Association gun rights lobby group. Two Republican state lawmakers have introduced a measure to lower the age to 18, as it was previously. Federal law already imposes a 21-year age requirement for handguns. A federal judge in 2021 upheld the law, finding it was a kind of "longstanding" restriction that courts had upheld in the past. The 11th Circuit panel decided on Thursday that this one was, pointing to more than a dozen 19th century state laws barring people under 21 from buying guns.

☆ Trump has been asking his advisers questions like 'what do you think of firing squads' when planning his campaign messaging: Rolling Stone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sources tell Rolling Stone Trump has been talking about how executions could fit in campaign messaging. Rolling Stone spoke to three anonymous sources about the campaign-related conversations Trump has been having with his associates. According to these sources, Trump has on more than one occasion asked his aides questions like: "What do you think of firing squads?" "The former president believes this would help put the fear of God into violent criminals," the source told Rolling Stone. A Trump spokesperson told Rolling Stone that their third source's recount of a possible Trump ad campaign featuring televised executions is "ridiculous" and "fake news."

Under Musk’s leadership, Twitter has slashed its staff, relaxed some of its content moderation policies and reinstated a number of incendiary accounts that were previously banned. Those moves raised concerns that Musk’s Twitter could contribute to a rise in public displays of hate and antisemitism offline. Musk, however, has repeatedly pushed back at claims that hate speech is rising on the platform. Twitter, which eliminated much of its public relations team during last year’s layoffs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “With this direct and heightened threat environment in mind, how will you work with other stakeholders to combat the rise of antisemitism on Twitter?,” Moskowitz concludes in his letter to Musk.

☆ DeSantis' plans for Florida this year include tax cuts for gas stoves and more elections police. The proposals are widely viewed as targeting GOP voters nationally.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Banning vaccine and mask mandatesDeSantis wants the Florida legislature to permanently ban COVID vaccine and mask mandates. It's not clear how much of a difference a new, permanent Florida law would make. DeSantis will ask the Florida legislature to permanently lift the state's 6% sales tax on baby necessities including on cribs, strollers, clothing, shoes, wipes, and diapers. But some analysts, such as Howard Gleckman at the Tax Policy Center, have warned that tax breaks could actually worsen inflation because people will spend and consume more at a time when supplies are limited. Currently, state law requires a vote be unanimous.

☆ Live updates: Suspect in shooting at dance hall near Los Angeles is dead, sheriff says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Erick Mendoza | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +33 min

Share this -Link copiedAlhambra officials release statement on Monterey Park shooting Alhambra officials released a statement on the Monterey Park shooting early Sunday evening. Officials also acknowledged the shooting that occurred in the city after the Monterey Park shooting. Share this -Link copiedPolice release pictures to identify Monterey Park shooting suspect The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has released pictures seeking to identify the Monterey Park shooting suspect. Law enforcement has connected him to the Monterey Park shooting and a shooting minutes later in Alhambra. Patrons of the Alhambra dance hall wrestled a firearm away from a man about 20 minutes after the Monterey Park shooting.

☆ Live updates: Possible suspect in mass shooting at dance hall near Los Angeles is found dead, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Erick Mendoza | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +31 min

☆ Factbox: California rampage is the latest U.S. mass shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In 2018, a former Marine combat veteran killed 12 people in a bar in Thousand Oaks. The deadliest shooting in modern California history was in 1984 when a gunman killed 21 people at a McDonald's restaurant in San Ysidro, near San Diego. - THOUSAND OAKS, Nov. 7, 2018 - A former Marine combat veteran killed 12 people in a bar in Thousand Oaks, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. - WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2013 - A former Navy reservist working as a government contractor killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. - AURORA, July 20, 2012 - A masked gunman killed 12 people at a cinema in Aurora, Colorado.

Jan 19 (Reuters) - Florida can punish local governments and officials that try to pass gun restrictions that are tougher than state laws, Florida's top court affirmed on Thursday. The Florida Supreme Court, by a 4-1 margin, rejected local officials' argument that they were immune to the penalties, which the court found were within the state's power to impose. Florida in 1987 passed a law stating that state gun control law preempts, or overrides, any local gun control measures. The local governments and officials sued the state to challenge a 2011 state law that authorizes the state to penalize local leaders for passing gun control measures that are subsequently struck down by courts for conflicting with state law. A trial court ruled in favor of the local officials, but the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld the 2011 law in 2021.

☆ DeSantis' 'Freedom Blueprint' for Florida is taking shape, and it's widely viewed as paving the way for a 2024 presidential run
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's widely viewed as a blueprint for theHe has already made some of his intentions clear, on areas from Disney to anti-China policy. DeSantis will ask the Florida legislature to permanently lift the state's 6% sales tax on baby necessities including on cribs, strollers, clothing, shoes, wipes, and diapers. He also wants the state to nix the sales tax on medical equipment and on medicines for pets. Other tax cuts would be temporary, including lifting the sales tax for a year on children's books, athletic equipment, and toys, as well as a proposal to suspend the sales tax on pet food and on household items that cost $25 or less. Loosening gun restrictionsDeSantis wants lawmakers to pass legislation that would change Florida law so that gun owners could carry a gun in public without a concealed weapons permit.

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