Florida will not reveal location of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz

The state may be protecting Cruz from possible security risks by refusing to reveal where he is being held

The gunman who killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida five years ago reportedly is being held at an unknown location, and the Florida Department of Corrections is not revealing where.

According to The Orlando Sentinel, the state is refusing to disclose the location of Nikolas Cruz, 24, who has been sentenced to 34 consecutive life sentences for the murders of his classmates and school staff in a mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglad High School on 14 February 2018.

The Sentinel argues that a possible reason for the state’s refusal to reveal Cruz’s location is safety. Under state law, the department of corrections can withhold information regarding an inmate’s location if its publication would create a security risk.

"You’re talking about someone who could easily be murdered by another inmate," Ron McAndrew, a retired Florida prison warden told the paper. "They’re going to do everything they can to keep him alive. Too many inmates have nothing to lose."

Florida also participates in the Interstate Prison Compact, which allows corrections departments to exchange prisoners whose lives might be at risk in the states where they committed their crimes.

However, according to The Sentinel, sources say Cruz is not a part of that program.

The Independent has reached out to the Florida Department of Corrections.