Miami|News|
Accused Parkland School Shooter: So Many Red Flags
A portrait of accused Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz shows his childhood was anything but pinwheels and cotton candy.

Paul Scicchitano covers the greater Miami area as well as Sarasota, Lakeland and Bradenton for national news website Patch.com. A longtime journalist and editor, Paul's work has appeared in prestigious national publications such as The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Newsmax and Army Times. He has covered some of the most consequential events of our time, including the Challenger disaster, the U.S. invasion of Panama, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. More recently, he covered Hurricane Irma and the Florida school shootings in Parkland. He can be reached at Paul.Scicchitano@patch.com.
A portrait of accused Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz shows his childhood was anything but pinwheels and cotton candy.

They searched for words of comfort but found none that could ease their pain. They wanted answers but only found more questions.
Nikolas Jacob Cruz began his alleged murderous rampage in an Uber, according to court documents and the Broward Sheriff.
The shooter has confessed to police that he entered the school armed with an AR-15 and began shooting students
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said the accused shooter was taken into custody without incident.
When the online giant visited a Miami middle school this week one of the questions was downright hilarious.
Homicide detectives are examining a badly burned car that was found on Tuesday not far from Myrtle Grove Elementary School.
Nicholas Houston was forced to watch D-Wadeless Cavs take on the Oklahoma Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.
City Mayor Raúl Valdés-Fauli awarded a key to the city on Tuesday to Telemundo Global Studios President Marcos Santana.
A Pike Electric worker could be heard screaming on Tuesday as he was jolted with electricity while working on a Miami power line.
A 10-year-old girl was abducted for a time on Monday by a man who made an "inappropriate sexual request" but then released her unharmed.
Miami-Dade law enforcement officials charged 11 people in a massive organized credit card fuel theft ring operating around the Miami area.
Miami police took two people into custody and detained a third for questioning following an early morning police chase in Little Havana.
Taurus Holmes was found in the parking lot at 20 NE 11 Street outside Club Space.
The FBI has linked the so-called "Business Bandit" to a total of nine bank heists stretching from Miami to Jupiter.
Four Miami-Dade police officers opened fire on an elderly man who threatened to kill himself.
An off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer, who was awakened to the sound of breaking glass, shot and killed an apparent intruder.
The crash occurred at 213th Street and Biscayne Boulevard.
Juana Laudelina Afa had been reported missing on Sunday from the 600 block of NW 19 Avenue.
Miami police have identified a murder victim as a missing college student from Miami Shores.