Rubio calls for probes into FBI’s ‘inexcusable’ failure on Florida shooter tip

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is calling on the House and Senate to investigate an apparent failure by the FBI to act on a tip about the teenager accused of carrying out a deadly shooting at a South Florida high school this week.

The FBI acknowledged Friday that it had failed to notify its Miami field office about a tip it received in January from a person close to the suspected shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.

That tip expressed concerns about Cruz’s erratic behavior, ownership of guns and desire to kill, and warned that he could potentially carry out a school shooting.

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“It is inexcusable that the FBI failed to follow protocols and inform the Miami Field Office that people close to the Parkland, FL. shooter warned the Bureau over a month ago of his desire to kill, his mental state, and erratic behavior,” Rubio said in a statement.

“The fact that the FBI is investigating this failure is not enough,” Rubio added. “Both the House and the Senate need to immediately initiate their own investigations into the FBI’s protocols for ensuring tips from the public about potential killers are followed through.”

The FBI conceded that the tip “should have been assessed as a potential threat to life,” but was never investigated further and the information was not passed on to the Miami field office.

The revelation came two days after Cruz allegedly opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale, killing 17 people and injuring more than a dozen others.

Cruz, a former student at the school who was expelled for disciplinary reasons, was charged on Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder.