Sessions orders review of FBI, DOJ procedures after school shooting

PARKLAND, Fla. — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is ordering a review of the Justice Department’s processes after the FBI failed to investigate a tip that the Florida school shooting suspect could be plotting an attack. Sessions said Friday the shooting that killed 17 people was a “tragic consequence” of the FBI’s failures. 

He said it’s now clear that the nation’s premier law enforcement agency missed warning signs. The FBI acknowledged it failed to act on a tip to its hotline that Nikolas Cruz had a “desire to kill.” 

“I have ordered the Deputy Attorney General to conduct an immediate review of our process here at the Department of Justice and FBI to ensure that we reach the highest level of prompt and effective response to indications of potential violence that come to us,” Sessions said in a statement.

The review will include a look at what went wrong and how the agency and Justice Department respond. Sessions said it may include “possible consultation with family members, mental health officials, school officials, and local law enforcement.” 

“We will make this a top priority,” Sessions said. “It has never been more important to encourage every person in every community to spot the warning signs and alert law enforcement. Do not assume someone else will step up–all of us must be vigilant. Our children’s lives depend on it.”

Authorities say Cruz, a volatile 19-year-old who had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, opened fire there Wednesday, killing 17 people and wounding more than a dozen others. 

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