Attorney General Jeff Sessions is ordering a review of the FBI and Justice Department’s procedures after the bureau revealed it had failed to act on a tip about the teenager accused of carrying out a deadly mass shooting in Florida.
“It is now clear that the warning signs were there and tips to the FBI were missed. We see the tragic consequences of those failures,” Sessions said in a statement Friday.
“The FBI in conjunction with our state and local partners must act flawlessly to prevent all attacks. This is imperative, and we must do better.”
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will conduct the review, he said.
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The FBI acknowledged on Friday that it had failed to act on a tip it received in January from someone close to the accused shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.
The tipster warned about Cruz’s gun ownership, mental stability and desire to kill, and expressed concern that he could potentially carry out a school shooting. The FBI did not investigate the claims, nor did it notify its Miami field office of the tip.
Cruz is accused of opening fire in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday. The attack left 17 people dead and 14 others injured. Cruz was charged Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder.
In a statement, the FBI conceded that the tip on Jan. 5 “should have been assessed as a potential threat to life.”
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) on Friday called for FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign in the wake of the revelation, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) demanded a congressional investigation into the apparent lapse.