US President Donald Trump will deliver a televised address Thursday in the wake of a deadly rampage at a Florida school.
“The president will address the nation on the tragic shooting in Parkland, FL at 11am,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said.
Trump earlier issued a proclamation ordering flags on US embassies, government buildings and military installations to be flown at half staff “as a mark of solemn respect” for the victims of Wednesday’s school massacre in Parkland, Florida.
Seventeen people were killed when Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student, entered the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire with an AR-15 rifle as students cowered in closets and under desks.
Cruz was later arrested without incident.
The massacre has reignited debate about US gun laws and the failure to protect against repeated mass shootings in US schools and elsewhere.
Trump, who has not yet spoken publicly about the latest attack, skirted that debate in an early morning tweet, instead emphasizing the shooter’s mental state.
“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” Trump tweeted.
“Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
Source: AFP
