And while the idea of “vigilante justice” is extreme - there are other ways that the local community might have prevented this. Mainly by being aware of this “kid” (from years ago it sounds like they were), and then doing something on the local level. It is hard to fathom with almost 40 contacts with the police that something wasn’t done.
In my city our church (and now lots of other churches) are heavily involved in the public schools. We run their sports programs. Have mentors for the kids, etc. It is unbelievable what an impact that has made on the schools. Stuff like suspensions going from 100+ down to 12 in a year, grades going from 30% passing to 80%, etc. I’m guessing that a nut-case like this kid would get found out and either received the help they needed, or at least some steps taken to keep him from being a danger to others.
This is what I am talking about! In our nearby urban-leftist public school system, I was reading a news story and survey about how 80% of the teachers felt the high schools were "out of control." Because its a high-minority school district, teachers and principals are not allowed to suspend or expel students. A culture has been created where nobody learns, but moreover, any problem is simply referred to "the union" or "law-enforcement." Teachers, understandably, simply wash their hands of any problems, and keep their heads down. Everyone knows a problem exists, but nothing changes. Government and political structures have removed any sense of community or responsibility.
I have no doubt a generally similar bureaucratic mentality exists among teachers in Parkland FL - and across America.