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Parkland shooting: Families involved in 2018 attack settle FBI lawsuit

Getty Images Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School memorial site in Parkland, FloridaGetty Images
A makeshift memorial honours victims of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida

The families of those killed in a Florida school shooting have reached a multi-million dollar settlement with the US government after the FBI failed to act on a tip about the gunman.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs said the agreement, once finalised, would mark "an important step" towards justice.

At least 17 people died after a former student opened fire at the campus in Parkland on 14 February 2018.

It was one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

Department of Justice officials did not immediately comment on the settlement of between $125m and $130m (£97m), whose details were confirmed by the BBC's US partner, CBS News and other US media.

Parents of the victims argued in a 2018 lawsuit that the authorities had failed to act on complaints about the gunman's stated desire to carry out a school attack and his weapons cache.

"Our kids died in the Parkland school shooting, but we disagree on guns"

A month before the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a woman had warned on the FBI's tip line that the suspect was "going to explode".

The FBI acknowledged it had failed to follow up on the tip, which the bureau said had provided information about "Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behaviour, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting".

The Parkland families last month reached a $25m settlement with the Broward County school district in a lawsuit that had accused it of negligence.

Their lawyers filed nearly two dozen legal actions in the aftermath of the attack.

The gunman pleaded guilty last month to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He faces a possible death sentence.