WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on President Donald Trump’s response to the Florida school shooting (all times local):
11:36 a.m.
President Donald Trump says he’ll visit Parkland, Florida, the site of Wednesday’s shooting that killed 17 people.
President Donald Trump delivers a statement on the mass shooting at a South Florida High School from the White House, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump said from the White House he’s making plans to meet with families and local officials, and to continue coordinating the federal response.
Trump called on Americans to “answer hate with love, answer cruelty with kindness,” after a troubled 19-year-old former pupil gunned-down students and teachers at the school. He tweeted early Thursday that the suspect appeared to be “mentally disturbed,” but he has not mentioned guns.
Trump said, “To law enforcement, first responders, and teachers who responded so bravely in the face of danger, we thank you for your courage.”
Trump had been planning on spending the weekend in Florida. The White House says the timing of the visit has yet to be finalized.
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11:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump says Wednesday’s mass shooting turned a Florida school into a “scene of terrible violence, hatred and evil.”
Trump is addressing the nation a day after the shooting that killed at least 17 people. The president was silent on the issue of gun control. Earlier Thursday, he suggested the suspect was “mentally disturbed.”
Trump says the entire nation “with one heavy heart” is praying for the victims and their families.
An orphaned 19-year-old with a troubled past and his own AR-15 rifle was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Thursday morning following the deadliest school shooting in the U.S. in five years.
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9:02 a.m.
The White House says President Donald Trump will address the nation about the Florida school shooting at 11 a.m. EST.
Trump also issued a proclamation Thursday honoring victims of the shooting at the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 were killed.
The presidential proclamation says: “Our Nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones in the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.”
The former student who opened fire Wednesday with an AR-15 rifle was charged Thursday morning.
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7:39 a.m.
President Donald Trump says it appears the suspect in Florida’s deadly school shooting was “mentally disturbed.”
Trump tweeted Thursday about the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school. A former student opened fire Wednesday with an AR-15 rifle, killing 17 people. The 19-year-old was charged Thursday morning.
Trump says: “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
The president offered sympathy in a tweet Wednesday and said he spoke with Florida’s governor, but he has not addressed the nation.
Trump has cited mental health before as a cause for mass shootings, dismissing questions about gun control.
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