FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ If only it were this easy to erase the memory of Nikolas Cruz.
The city of Parkland has removed a wooden fence slat at Liberty Park that was inscribed with the school shooter's name.
For years, playground visitors could see "Nikolas J. Cruz" emblazoned on the piece of wood. But after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, removing it "seemed the only logical course of action," city spokesman Todd DeAngelis said.
Cruz's mother, Lynda Cruz, had gotten Cruz and his brother, Zachary, involved in the building of the 7-acre playground, which opened in 2000. The public had been invited to buy engraved items that surround the playground area as part of fundraising.
Nikolas Cruz gained notoriety on Feb. 14 when he killed 17 people and wounded 16 at Stoneman Douglas, authorities said. In a news article published this weekend, the Sun Sentinel reported how the slat with Cruz's name remained at the park.
The city got rid of it Sunday as soon as it learned about the engraving. Although Cruz's name was removed, the slat with his brother's name remains.
Ken Shack, a bicyclist who stopped by Liberty Park on Thursday, was glad Nikolas Cruz's slat is gone. "It should come down," he said.
