FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Nikolas Cruz cut his arms on Snapchat and said he wanted to buy a gun in September 2016, more than a year before he was accused of killing 17 people in a school in Parkland, Florida, records obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel show.
The incident on the digital social network prompted an investigation by sheriff's deputies and adult welfare investigators from the Department of Children & Family Services.
"Mr. Cruz has fresh cuts on both his arms. Mr. Cruz stated he plans to go out and buy a gun. It is unknown what he is buying the gun for," the DCF report reads.
Investigators concluded there were "some implications" for Cruz's safety but determined he was receiving adequate support from his school and outpatient care from Henderson Mental Health in Broward County.
The documents provide further evidence that Cruz was a troubled teen who repeatedly went without help before he stalked the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15 rifle on Wednesday.
The DCF investigation came four days after Cruz's 18th birthday, meaning he could legally purchase a rifle. About five months later, he bought the AR-15.
Cruz came under DCF's supervision and care because he was classified as a vulnerable adult due to mental illness.
"(Cruz's) final level of risk is low as (he) resides with his mother, attends school and receives counseling through Henderson," the investigator wrote.
A mobile crisis unit from Henderson had been called out at some time in the past to figure out whether Cruz needed to be committed for psychiatric treatment under the Baker Act, the report also noted. No date for that visit was provided and he was not committed.
His mother, Lynda Cruz, told investigators that her son had been diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He was being treated for depression, had a behavioral disorder and had been taking medication for the ADHD, the report said. Investigators wrote that they did not know whether he was still taking the medication.
Cruz's mother told investigators his behavior was linked to "a breakup with a girl who was cheating on (him)." She and the girl's mom had told the teens they "had to end the relationship because it was unhealthy for everyone."
Cruz began cutting himself after his relationship broke up, his mother said.
She said her son did not have a firearm. She said she had confiscated his air gun because he didn't follow house rules about only shooting it "within the backyard and at targets." It was unclear precisely what he was doing.
A counselor told investigators that a mobile crisis unit had been called out to the school "and determined he was not at risk to harm himself or others." Cruz had gotten into a fight with a boy over a girl, the counselor said.
The team from Henderson found Cruz "stable enough not to be hospitalized."
The school resource officer, a sheriff's deputy, refused to share any information with the investigator "regarding the incident that took place" with Cruz but confirmed Henderson staff came to the school, assessed Cruz and did not hospitalize him.
