Police petition to block accused Florida shooter’s brother from owning a gun

Police in Florida are using a new state law to try to stop the younger brother of the accused shooter at a Parkland, Fla., high school from owning a gun.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said that it has petitioned the courts for a risk protection order that would stop Zachary Cruz from owning a gun, under a new law passed earlier this month, the Miami Herald reported Tuesday.

The law, which was passed to try and prevent mass shootings like the one in Parkland, gives law enforcement the ability to ask a judge to remove guns from a person’s home or stop them from buying a firearm until that individual can show a court that they’re mentally fit.

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Zachary Cruz’s brother, Nikolas Cruz, has been indicted on murder charges in last month’s mass shooting in Parkland that left 17 people dead and could face the death penalty.

Zachary Cruz, 18, was arrested on Monday for trespassing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where last month’s shooting took place.

He told law enforcement that he went to the school to “reflect on the school shooting and soak it in.”

Zachary Cruz is now being held in custody after Broward County Judge Kim Theresa Mollica set a $500,000 bond on Tuesday, according to the Herald.

The normal bond for trespassing on school grounds is $25, which Cruz has already paid, according to his attorney.

“He’s being held because of who he’s related to, not because of what he did,” Cruz’s attorney said in court.

Mollica ordered that Zachary Cruz’s home be searched for guns and that he not be in contact with his brother or people affiliated with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the newspaper reported.