Table of Contents
Summary of the crime
Claim
In conclusion,
On February 14, 2018, a Florida high-school student opened fire inside a school building. He killed 17 students and injured 17 others. After the shooting, he fled the scene with other students who ran for safety. Nicholas Cruz, the suspect was arrested. Nicholas was a troubled child and didn’t receive enough support to stop him from causing such destruction. He was described by his neighbors as a troubled child. Holland was shocked to learn of the Stoneman Douglas shooting. Holland knew it was him when she first heard about the shooting at Stoneman Douglas. This is why he committed a deviant act of shooting up school. After looking at these situations, I realized that Nicholas life is connected to labelling theory. That is, society can label someone and they will be deviant. Nicholas was labelled a troubled boy and the school shooting is his deviant act. I also attributed his life to psychopath theory. Nickolas got into stone-throwing disputes with another child and even used small animals to prove his aggression and irritability. When his mother was taking away his Xbox, Nickolas called him a useless bitch’. Nicholas didn’t show any respect or consideration for his mother. Nicholas shot chickens with guns, showing how he did not care about his safety and that of others. He is a psychopath because he has no remorse and fails to follow social norms. We have failed to offer mental help to the mentally ill and with the current gun laws being lenient, children like Nicholas Cruz will easily cause harm and destruction. This essay will cover the whole case and the theories that led to Nicholas’s death. I will also discuss gun laws, mental health issues and teens.
Summary of Crime Stoneman Douglas Secondary School was running as usual until Nicholas Cruz was dropped at Stoneman Douglas High by an Uber just before the end of school. Cruz set off a fire alarm, causing students to run from their classrooms and opening fire at them. 17 were killed and 17 were injured. After activating the fire alarm, Cruz opened fire at the students, killing 17 and injuring 17. Nicholas continued shooting for six minutes, and then his riffle stopped working. Nicholas fled the scene with other children who ran to their safety. Nicholas was eventually taken into custody by the police and taken to Broward County jail. Cruz was a disturbed child. Lynda Cruz adopted Nicholas in 2018 after he was orphaned. This made him extremely depressed. Nicholas was left to fend for himself after Lynda, his mother, died. Kimberly and James Snead allowed Nicholas to live in their Parkland home until he was charged with the Stoneman Douglas High school attack.
According to school records, Nikolas was diagnosed with developmental delays at the age of 3. He also had other problems, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, depression and an emotional behavioral disability. Nicholas’s mental problems were so severe that his mom called him autistic. This shows Nicholas was mentally unstable. The school and authorities did not provide any additional treatment for him to improve his condition. Nicholas’s mom was concerned that Nicholas would purchase a gun, as he is a violent hunter and hunter. But the gun shop employee told Lynda Cruz was 18. He was legal age and could pick up the gun if she felt he wasn’t fit. Lynda informed the gun store employee that he was fine. I just want to make certain he is safe. This shows how weak gun laws are in America. People like Nicholas Cruz are able to easily evaluate guns and cause havoc.
Argument The Florida school shooting did not result in the death of all innocent children. CNN says that 45 school shootings occurred in the last 46 weeks. This is almost one shooting per week. These statistics show that current laws in states are not effective and should be changed to ensure the safety of children and adults.
Furthermore, mental health is vital for teenagers. High school students should take counselling to learn what to do if they are experiencing mental problems.
Nicholas Cruz was diagnosed with mental illness and his school and police authorities failed to provide treatment. The law enforcement agencies and school had failed to provide safety and supervision for students and citizens. I used Nicholas Cruz as a model for a psychoopathic theory. Psychopaths don’t have guilt or remorse. They also can’t have lasting relationships with people. The following 3 characteristics are indicative of Nicholas’ psychopathic nature. Nicholas’ school shooting may be considered an act in aggression. Nicholas killed so many people to prove that he didn’t feel guilt or remorse. Nicholas has been writing letters inside jail. He hasn’t once mentioned the school-shooting act. Instead, Nicholas wrote in one letter that he hates jail because he doesn’t like it. A psychopath may also exhibit deviance. Deviant acts are often seen in society. Nicholas’s mom shared that Nicholas would have screaming episodes. Nicholas would tell his mom, a friend, to tell her mother to “go get f—- herself” or “I wish I died.” Such deviant acts are only committed by psychopaths. Third, Nicholas is a psychopath for using guns to hunt and carrying a gun to kill children without regard for their safety. These traits are not normal in people. Schools need to have the resources and people to help with this problem.
Another theory that I linked this case to is the labelling theory. This is where society places labels on individuals, causing them to behave according to those labels and deviant. Nicholas was known as the troubled boy in school and his neighbourhood. He was described by his neighbor as a troubled child. Holland recognized him immediately when she heard of Stoneman Doug’s shooting. This saying shows that society had already given him a name, which led to him performing a deviant act: shooting up school. Garvey, a friend Lynda Cruz’s mother, said that Cruz was an “odd child” who made everyone nervous. Labelling theory states that labels like “weird kid” or “odd kid” put on someone, which in this case would be Cruz. This would lead people to behave as they are labeled. His labels were the reason he did what he did at school.
Psychopath theory refers to how one person can seem so innocent and not be guilty for the crimes they have committed. Nicholas displayed exactly the same characteristics that a psychopath. He was completely free of guilt and did not care about his safety or that of anyone else. Nicholas displayed these traits, which meant he was intended to cause injury to people.
Conclusion Nicholas and the other state children need to be watched and monitored closely in order to prevent them from hurting anyone. His case shows that society is failing to take care of mentally ill kids. Therefore, new gun laws must be passed to ensure that no person can have a firearm except police officers and military personnel. Guns don’t solve any problem, but good relationships and communicating with one another do. Nicholas’s young access to a gun shows that gun laws are flawed and anyone can obtain a firearm. Second, everyone and his neighbors knew he was a troubled child but they did not help him to stop the destruction he created. Schools, which have many children, are responsible in monitoring the kids. If they fail to do so, counselors and authorities will be notified.
This case is better understood by both the psychopath theory as well as the labelling theory. Both theories each have their own explanations, but we must remember that guns do not kill people. A lack of stigmatization and good relationships with people will lead to less crime.
