CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Nikolas Cruz walked into the Sunrise Tactical Supply last year to buy the rifle used to kill as many people as he could Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, according to authorities.
Sunrise Tactical Supply owners Michael and Lisa Morrison closed the store Thursday. They are represented by attorneys Stuart Kaplan and Douglas Rudman.
"The purchase of the AR-15 to Nikolas Cruz took place on Feb. 11, 2017," attorney Stuart Kaplan told reporters.
Kaplan said Cruz returned seven days later to pick up the rifle, which came with a magazine.
The owners of the store told their attorneys that after Cruz passed his federal background check, they had no reason to believe he was disturbed or capable of carrying out such an attack.
If they would have known that Cruz "was this ticking time bomb, they would have used their discretion in not selling him this weapon," Rudman said.
Rudman said the Morrisons were distraught about "the tremendous sense of responsibility in this situation and just horribleness that they feel that one of their weapons fell into the hands of this maniac."
He said the Morrisons are afraid about how the community will perceive them "when they reemerge from their cocoon."
"They are scared, not for their safety, or not just for their safety, but more importantly, for how the reaction is going to be from the rest of the community when they try to re-enter it," Rudman said.
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— Michael Seiden (@SeidenWSBTV) February 16, 2018
Attorney for
gun shop owner who sold AR-15 to accused killer says his client is “afraid” of how the community will treat him and his family and their safety in the wake of Wednesday’s deadly mass shooting. pic.twitter.com/142CqvbkyE