Photo: RHONA WISE / AFP / Getty Images
Broward County school district officials in Florida said Thursday they plan to demolish Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the 2018 killing of 17 people by a former student in one of the deadliest mass shootings in Florida. American history, over the next summer.
School authorities reported that the demolition of the 1200 building of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School, in the city of Parkland, will begin in the summer of next year, once the current 2023/2024 school year ends.
Local authorities added that they made this determination after consulting health and safety experts, in addition to taking into account “the well-being of students and staff on campus,” according to a statement.
The building in question, where on February 14, 2018, the young Nikolas Cruz unleashed a shootout with an AR-15 rifle and killed 17 people, including 14 students, It had been preserved as a crime scene while the trials against the confessed author of the massacre took place. and former school officer Scot Peterson.
Cruz was sentenced in November 2022 to life in prison without the possibility of parole, while last June a Florida jury exonerated Peterson.
“We understand the urgency of this matter, but it is essential to prioritize safety above all else,” the school district said in its statement.
“In preparation for demolition, crews will clean and clear the building, complying with state and Environmental Protection Agency landfill disposal regulations. “As we continue to recover, we remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting the Marjory Stoneman Douglas community and will provide updates as information becomes available,” she added.
Last August, a delegation of congressmen visited the Parkland school building before ballistics technicians recreated the shots fired by Cruz with a semi-automatic rifle for judicial purposes.
The purpose of the reenactment was to document the “movements and actions” of Peterson, who remained outside the building while Cruz, then 19, shot at students and staff inside.
Peterson was sued by the parents of five of the victims, who asked the judge in the case to recreate the events.
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– Parents of Parkland victims ask to recreate 2018 mass shooting before demolishing building where the crime was committed
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