Parkland school shooting: Jury selection begins in death penalty trial

A former Parkland Florida school student was arrested for the school shooting in 2018. Here’s all you need to know about the case and President Biden’s comment on gun laws in the US.

Jury selection for 2018 school shooting

This week, the selection process for the Parkland school shooting has begun. They are going to choose 12 jurors in the coming weeks. They need to unanimously vote if the perpetrator should get the death penalty. The then 19-year-old gunman is responsible for killing 14 students and three educators. The perpetrator, Nikolas Cruz, was also a student at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Back in October 2021, Cruz pleaded guilty. The trial is going to start in June and will continue till September.

Following expulsion for disciplinary reasons, Cruz shot 17 people using an assault-style rifle. Additionally, he also wounded over 12 people. Cruz was also a part of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp Program, a US military-sponsored program in the school.

Gun violence in the US

Gun violence and crimes have a long and turbulent history in the US. The nation has one of the most relaxed gun control rules in the world. Additionally, the US is the home to the highest civilian ownership in the world. Earlier in February 2022, the families of victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting were successful in settling a historic lawsuit. The victims won against Remington. The gun maker’s rifle was one of the three used by the gunman in 2012. Settling at $72 million, the lawsuit was by the families of nine of 26 victims. It was historic in trying to change gun laws in the US.

Last year, during the third anniversary of the incident, President Joe Biden called the situation with guns in the US an epidemic. “Today, I am calling on Congress to enact common-sense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets,” he stated.

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