Parkland school shooting: Families devastated as gunman spared death

The gunman who killed 17 radical astatine Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School successful Parkland, Florida, has been spared the decease penalty.

A assemblage recommended that the defendant, 24, should alternatively walk the remainder of his beingness successful situation for the 14 February, 2018 shooting.

Family members of victims were visibly upset and aggravated arsenic the determination was work retired successful court.

A sentencing proceeding has been acceptable for 1 November.

The gunman, Nikolas Cruz, pleaded blameworthy to the murders successful October past year. It was the deadliest wide shooting lawsuit ever to scope a assemblage proceedings successful the US.

The verdict sparing him from superior punishment was described arsenic "unreal" and "wrong" by relatives of those killed astatine a property league afterwards.

"I could not beryllium much disappointed successful what happened today," said Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old girl Jaime was among the students killed.

"I'm stunned. I'm devastated," helium said. "There are 17 victims that did not person justness today. This assemblage failed our families today."

The jury's determination was besides a stroke for prosecutors, who had repeatedly sought to beryllium that the crimes were "cold, calculated and premeditated" and met Florida's explanation of "aggravating factors" that warrant the decease penalty.

A unanimous determination would person been needed to contented a decease sentence.

As each of 17 counts was work retired successful court, it emerged that portion jurors agreed determination were factors that would warrant the decease penalty, astatine slightest 1 juror believed determination were besides "mitigating factors" that alternatively warranted beingness successful prison.

Distress was disposable connected the faces of galore of the household members gathered successful court. Tony Montalto - who mislaid his daughter, Gina, successful the onslaught - shook his caput repeatedly. His limb was astir his wife, Jennifer, who dropped her caput connected his enarthrosis arsenic the number related to Gina was work out.

Other household members could beryllium seen crying quietly. Corey Hixon - whose begetter Christopher Hixon died successful the onslaught - stood up and near the country arsenic soon helium heard the jury's proposal for a beingness condemnation alternatively of death.

Speaking to reporters aft the hearing, Ilan Alhadeff, whose girl Alyssa was killed, said the gunman was "not a quality being - he's an animal."

"I commune that carnal suffers each time of his beingness successful jail," helium said. "And that helium has a abbreviated life."

The gunman was aged 19 erstwhile helium walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened occurrence utilizing a legally bought AR-15 rifle. Within 4 minutes, 34 radical had been shot. Seventeen of them - 14 students and 3 unit members - were killed. The onslaught remains 1 of the deadliest schoolhouse shootings successful US history.

In the chaos that ensued, the gunman managed to flight the transgression country by blending successful with students, and lingered successful the country aft buying a brushed portion astatine a adjacent fast-food restaurant. Soon after, helium was arrested by constabulary astir 2 miles (3.2km) from the school.

In the aftermath of the killings, prosecutors presented grounds that the onslaught had been premeditated. The gunman researched past wide killings, and posted online comments successful which helium said helium would amusement "no mercy". In 1 video, taken days earlier the shooting, the gunman said helium planned to beryllium the "next schoolhouse shooter" of the twelvemonth and that his extremity was to execution astatine slightest 20 people.

The gunman's lawyers sought to represent him arsenic mentally ill, a young antheral psychologically shattered by a hard puerility successful which helium was "poisoned" by his mother's drinking and substance abuse.

The shooting energised the already divisive US speech astir guns, and prompted a question of youth-led activism.

In the days aft the tragedy, a radical of surviving students - including Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, X Gonzalez and Sarah Chadwick - called connected societal media for stricter weapon power laws and the close to beryllium capable to spell to schoolhouse without the fearfulness of being killed.

Just six weeks aft the attack, an estimated 800,000 radical attended the "March for Our Lives" rally against weapon unit successful Washington DC.

The organisation continues to run for argumentation aims specified arsenic much regularisation and power of firearms and holding the weapon lobby "accountable".

But its legislative goals, specified arsenic a prohibition connected battle weapons and high-capacity magazines, person proved elusive.