Miami Herald by Sarah Blaskey

February 20, 2018

In an unusual move, the Florida Department of Children & Families will release 22 pages, generally kept confidential due to privacy concerns, pertaining to a 2016 case involving Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old school shooter charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder.

DCF attorney John Jackson successfully petitioned a court to order the release, acknowledging that other agencies have released information. He said in his opening statement: “We don’t want to be the only party at the table looking like we have something to hide.”

Jackson confirmed news media reports that DCF did have contact with Cruz. But he maintained that the case in question was “run of the mill” and that it was handled appropriately by the agency. The DCF case, opened on Sept. 28, 2016, classified Cruz as a “vulnerable adult” victim with multiple mental health concerns, including severe depression, ADHD and autism. According to the court, the report said Cruz was taking medication for one or more of these disorders.[READ MORE]