DISAPPOINTED

Parkland Parents Decry Shooter’s Life Sentence: Hope He ‘Suffers Every Day’

The jury declined to recommend the death penalty for the Parkland gunman who killed 17 individuals and injured another 17 in 2018.

Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and injured another 17, will likely never see another day outside of prison after a jury recommended a life sentence without parole on Thursday — but that wasn’t enough for the parents and families of his victims. “We came here today and there wasn’t even a doubt in my mind that this would be the death penalty,” said an emotional Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa Alhadeff was shot eight times by Cruz. “What is the death penalty for if not for the murder and killing of 17 people?” Alhadeff expressed her disappointment alongside her husband, who said he prays “that animal suffers every day of his life in jail.” The pair also took a moment to criticize the actions of former deputy Scot Peterson, the only armed first responder to the scene, who chose to stay outside rather than engage Cruz. “Law enforcement needs to do their job,” Ms. Alhadeff cried out. “Your job is to go in, engage and take down the threat. And if you can’t do that, don’t take the job!”