Florida School Shooting: Bail Hiked For Brother Of Accused Gunman

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — The younger brother of accused Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz had his bail set at a mere $25 going into Tuesday's court appearance on a trespassing charge. But when he left the courtroom, 18-year-old Zachary Cruz was still in handcuffs and his bail had been hiked to $500,000. Cruz was arrested on Monday after showing up at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School riding a skateboard.

The bizarre scene played out nearly five weeks after Nikolas Cruz was accused of arriving at the suburban Broward County school in an Uber and opening fire with an AR-15 assault rifle. Seventeen students and faculty members were killed in the horrific Valentine's Day massacre.

See also Deputy Accused Of Sleeping Outside Scene Of School Massacre

In setting the bail "based on the totality of the circumstances," Judge Kim Theresa Mollica noted that Zachary Cruz is the brother of the accused gunman. Assuming he makes bail, Zachary Cruz must stay one mile away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and 500 feet away from any Broward school or childcare facility. He must also wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and not have any direct or indirect contact with his brother.

"He resides in Palm Beach County. He has no legitimate business at the school and he came onto this campus after being warned," the judge said. "In addition, he is to have his home in Lake Worth searched for guns, ammunition, any weapons."

The judge also said that Zachary Cruz cannot return to Broward County except in the case of court-related matters.

Zachary Cruz is likely to have skated past the growing memorial to the victims outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Some parents kept their children out of school on Tuesday after learning about the skateboarding incident, according to the Broward County State Attorney's Office.

"If that school is so protected, then how is he able to just skateboard onto campus," Lori Alhadeff asked in an interview with Local 10 news. She unleashed a public show of grief on live national television so raw and genuine that it brought tears from a veteran CNN anchor, U.S. Congressman and countless others watching at home following the death of her daughter, Alyssa.

Zachary Cruz, who listed his occupation as student, was arrested at 4:50 p.m. following the incident that occurred 20 minutes earlier, according to the arrest document. He listed a permanent address in the 6100 block of NW 80th Terrace in Parkland.

"Defendant Cruz stated that he unlawfully entered the school property to 'reflect on the school shooting and to soak it in,'" court documents said of Zachary Cruz.

Rocxanne Deschamps, who briefly took in Nikolas Cruz after his mother, Lynda, died on Nov. 1 said on Tuesday that she shared warning signs with police about the accused killer. She said she made three 9-1-1 calls concerning Nikolas Cruz in less than a month that he lived with her.

"I told the police of a prior incident that I knew of in which Nikolas had put a gun to his mother's head and his brother's head," she said. "I also told them about other warning signs ... Law enforcement said that nothing could be done."

She said she fully supports Saturday's planned March For Our Lives event in Washington, D.C. and around the country.

At one point Deschamps said she gave Nikolas Cruz an ultimatum that he had to get rid of his guns if he wanted to live in her home. "He chose the guns," she said. "I could not live in fear in my own home."

Deschamps said she got a text from Nikolas Cruz one day before the shooting at Stoneman Douglas. She had also taken in his family dogs.

"He was worried about the dogs," she recalled. "My heart goes out to the 17 victims in the shooting who were killed."

The Broward Sheriff's Office also said it filed for a newly created “red flag law” Risk Protection Order against Zachary Cruz, who was also involuntarily committed under Florida's Baker Act for mental health evaluations.

If granted, the order would prohibit Cruz from possessing and acquiring firearms for a period of time to be determined by the court. This new type of order was signed into law by Florida's governor last week and took effect immediately.

Photo of Zachary Cruz courtesy Broward Sheriff's Office