SunSentinel by Rafael Olmeda
April 18, 2018
A Broward judge on Wednesday authorized the public release of more video from cameras positioned outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during February’s mass shooting.
The video may shed more light on the law enforcement response to Nikolas Cruz’s Feb. 14 rampage, during which he shot 17 to death and wounded 17 others.
Attorneys for the Broward School Board argued in court earlier this month that the video will expose the limits of the cameras on campus and weaken school security. The Broward State Attorney’s Office also argued against releasing any video records, saying they are the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation.
But Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey R. Levenson reviewed hours of video and determined that they should be released to the public — the video is not part of an active criminal investigation, he said, and the “potential harm” to the school’s security system is “outweighed by the strong public interest in disclosure.”
The South Florida Sun Sentinel and several other Media organizations filed a lawsuit asking for video outside the school to be released in the public interest. After an initial batch was released, media organizations concluded from various public statements that additional video existed that shows more of the law enforcement response to the shooting. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating allegations by other agencied that several BSO deputies failed to enter the school to help wounded students or engage Cruz when they arrived on the scene.[READ MORE]