Florida to launch probe into police response to school shooting

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has requested a formal investigation into law enforcement’s response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which took the lives of 17 people earlier this month. 

“I have asked for FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] to immediately investigate the law enforcement response and will continue to review this matter as more facts come out. There must be an independent investigation and that is why I asked the FDLE Commissioner to immediately start this process,” Scott said in a statement on Sunday. 

{mosads}“I have spoken to Speaker Corcoran about his request and I understand his concerns. I have spoken to the Speaker regularly since the shooting, and like me, he wants the families to have answers and for there to be full accountability. That’s what the victims and their families deserve,” he continued, referring to Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran’s (R) call for the governor to suspend Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.

Scott said he would not suspend Israel despite the urging of Corcoran and other Florida state lawmakers, Politico reported. 

The Hill has reached out to Scott’s office for further comment. 

Broward County police and the FBI have been under intense scrutiny over the department’s handling of the shooting and red flags raised about the suspect in the lead-up to the tragedy.

Both agencies were reportedly warned that the suspected shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, could pose a threat prior to the shooting.

The police department has also been hit after it was revealed that officers that allegedly failed to enter the building after responding to calls about a shooter. 

State Rep. Bill Hager (R) penned a letter to Scott calling for Israel’s resignation following the shooting. However, Israel said on Sunday he will not step down from his post. 

“Of course I won’t resign,” Israel said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“It was a shameful letter. It was politically motivated,” Israel said. “I never met that man. He doesn’t know anything about me. And the letter was full of misinformation.”