The 19-year-old gunman who took the lives of 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla., had no ties to a white nationalist group, despite initial reports to the contrary.
Local law enforcement has not been able to find any connection between shooter Nikolas Cruz and the Tallahassee-based paramilitary group the Republic of Florida Militia, Tallahassee Democrat reported.
The group’s leader, Jacob Jereb, told the media Thursday that Cruz had a connection to the white supremacist group. However, Leon County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Grady Jordan said investigative work led to a dead end and did not yield any connection.
“We are still doing some work but we have no known ties between the ROF, Jordan Jereb or the Broward shooter,” Jordan said.
Jereb did not answer repeated phone calls after law enforcement confirmed they found no information indicating Cruz was involved with ROF, but hours later a social media post, bearing his name, claimed the whole thing was a “legit misunderstanding.” The post also indicated that there were several members in ROF who are named Nikolas.
