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Father of student killed in Parkland massacre faces judge in Washington

WASHINGTON, D.C. ā€“ Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was killed in the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, appeared in a Washington, D.C., court Thursday.

ā€œ(It lasted) probably less than five minutes,ā€ Oliver said.

He faced a judge on Thursday after he was arrested in March during a heated House hearing on gun laws. The charges were dropped.

Oliver was seen in a video on the ground in handcuffs in a hallway pinned down by two Capitol police officers after he was kicked out of the hearing.

Local 10 spoke with Oliver on Thursday after he appeared in court.

ā€œThey dropped the charges. I still donā€™t know what the charges were; they ended up dropping everything.ā€

This is not the first time heā€™s spoken out to politicians.

Last summer, he interrupted a speech by President Biden on the White House lawn during the signing of a bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It was the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades.

Since his sonā€™s murder, Oliver has become a strong advocate for gun reform.

ā€œI hope Iā€™ll see change and in the meantime, until I donā€™t see any change, I will be raising Joaquinā€™s voice through our persona. Yes, I will.

Oliver is calling for the White House to open an office of Gun Violence Prevention. He says Biden could have that office created immediately.


About the Author
Ben Kennedy headshot

Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning Washington Bureau Chief for Local 10 News.

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