Should Nikolas Cruz get the death penalty for the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida?
“The answer is yes,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) said in a Monday interview with CBS Miami. “It’s a tough thing to answer because I have concerns about the death penalty — not in a case like this. I have concerns in the broader sense about how not everyone gets equal representation in death panels, but in this particular case, it would be hard to argue against the death penalty.”
Critics blasted Rubio for what they deemed as a toothless response to the Parkland shooting, pointing out that he received political contributions from the National Rifle Association.
Cruz opened fire Wednesday using an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, killing 17 people, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. He admitted to doing it, investigators said. Even his attorneys aren’t disputing the allegations. Defense lawyer Melissa McNeill said last Thursday that her client was “remorseful.” Another attorney Howard Finkelstein told The Miami Herald that Cruz “committed this crime,” and pointed to signs that Cruz had been troubled.
[Screengrab via CBS Miami]