Shadows of Power, Part 2

How the FBI’s negligence allowed preventable tragedies to unfold, costing innocent lives and eroding public trust.

LEGACY MATTERS

Introduction

The mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is clear: to protect the American people from threats, uphold the Constitution, and prevent violent crimes. It’s a mission that demands vigilance, accountability, and integrity. And yet, time and time again, the FBI has failed to live up to its own promises.

I’ve served this country with everything I had, fighting for the American people. We held each other to the highest standard because of who we were fighting for.

You!

Accountability wasn’t optional—it was a requirement that came with immense responsibility. In a combat zone, where oversight is scarce, that responsibility meant everything. The actions we took could determine whether we won the hearts and minds of the locals, which is was crucial, or completely lost their confidence and trust.

If we lost the confidence and trust of the locals in the combat zone, it wasn’t just about making our jobs harder—it meant losing battles. And losing battles propagates to the war effort itself, which then cascades back home. The effects of a lack of confidence, born from a lack of accountability, carry far-reaching and severe consequences.

The same is true whether you’re in the military fighting overseas or working in a government agency or law enforcement organization. There is one commonality: we the people. If they lose confidence in you, your organization, or your agency, it’s only a matter of time before your job becomes not only impossible but also unbearable. Trust is the foundation of any mission, and without it, everything collapses.

This is what I don’t understand: we, the people, are not the enemy. Yet the actions—or inactions—of those tasked with serving us often treat us as though we are. The cascade effect of broken trust, whether abroad or at home, is something we cannot afford. Accountability is not just a virtue—it’s a necessity.

There’s nothing more heartbreaking than a preventable tragedy—when the warnings were there, when the intelligence was known, and yet no action was taken. From school shootings to domestic violence cases that escalated into mass killings, the FBI has ignored credible warnings and allowed innocent lives to be lost. These failures aren’t just bureaucratic mistakes—they’re a direct betrayal of the American people.

But accountability isn’t about rage or chaos. It’s about shining a light on these failures and demanding better. It’s about using the truth to drive smart political action, not violence. If we don’t hold institutions like the FBI accountable, we are complicit in allowing these failures to continue.

This series expose the FBI’s failures to act on critical warnings before devastating events like school shootings, January 6th and many others. Why do so many tragedies happen when the signs were clear? Why does an agency with such immense power and resources consistently fail to protect the very people it was created to defend?

And most importantly, what can we do to ensure these failures stop? Accountability starts here. Because no more lives should be lost to negligence and indifference.

Notable School Shooting Incidents: A Pattern of Preventable Tragedies

When a tragedy occurs, especially one as devastating as a school shooting, the natural instinct is to ask: Could this have been prevented? Too often, the answer is yes. Time and again, the FBI has received credible warnings about individuals who went on to commit heinous acts of violence. And time and again, the agency has failed to act, allowing preventable tragedies to unfold. These failures aren’t just about negligence—they’re about lives that could have been saved. Let’s look at some of the most glaring examples.

Parkland Shooting (2018): A Catastrophe Ignored

On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and opened fire, killing 17 students and teachers. What makes this massacre particularly devastating is that the FBI had not one but two clear opportunities to intervene.

• September 2017: A YouTube user reported a comment made by "nikolas cruz," stating, "I'm going to be a professional school shooter." The FBI claimed they couldn’t identify the commenter. But was that true? With the tools at their disposal, could they really not trace such a specific threat?

• January 5, 2018: Just over a month before the shooting, someone close to Cruz called the FBI tip line. This person laid it all out: Cruz had guns, a desire to kill, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts. They warned of a potential school shooting. Yet, this tip was never forwarded to the Miami Field Office, and no action was taken.

Seventeen lives lost. Families shattered. And the FBI, with all its resources, did nothing. This wasn’t just a failure—it was a betrayal of trust.

Aztec High School Shooting (2017): A Missed Opportunity

A year earlier, on December 7, 2017, William Atchison walked into Aztec High School in New Mexico and killed two students before taking his own life. Like Cruz, Atchison’s violent intentions weren’t a secret.

• In 2016, the FBI interviewed Atchison after he posted online comments about mass shootings. While they did follow up, the case was eventually closed without further action.

Atchison had already shown his fascination with violence. A deeper investigation could have flagged the growing threat. Instead, two students paid the ultimate price for the FBI’s unwillingness to act decisively.

Apalachee High School Shooting (2024): Ignored Warnings, Preventable Deaths

Most recently, in September 2024, 14-year-old Colt Gray allegedly killed four people at Apalachee High School in Georgia. What makes this case so infuriatingly familiar is that the FBI was warned about Gray more than a year earlier.

• Gray had made online threats that were reported to the FBI, but after a brief investigation, the case was closed. No weapons were confiscated, no further action was taken, and no effort was made to ensure that Gray couldn’t follow through on his threats.

Four lives were lost because the FBI decided Gray didn’t warrant further attention. This isn’t just a lapse—it’s a systemic failure to prioritize public safety over bureaucratic inertia.

The Trend:

Lack of Accountability Produces Substandard Performance

These incidents are not anomalies—they’re part of a disturbing pattern in which credible warnings go unheeded. Each time, the FBI had a chance to prevent the loss of innocent lives. Each time, they failed.

These failures reveal a deeper issue: a lack of urgency, accountability, and follow-through within the FBI. The agency has the tools, resources, and authority to prevent these tragedies, yet it consistently falls short. And for every family left grieving after a preventable loss, these failures aren’t just bureaucratic—they’re personal.

The Erosion of Confidence

How are we supposed to trust an agency that ignores warnings of mass violence? How are parents supposed to feel secure sending their children to school when the very people tasked with protecting them fail to act? The FBI’s repeated negligence in cases like Parkland, Aztec, and Apalachee has done more than cost lives—it has destroyed the public’s faith in the system.

This isn’t about hindsight—it’s about foresight. It’s about holding an institution accountable for its failures and demanding that they do better. If we don’t, we’ll keep asking the same devastating question after every preventable tragedy: Why didn’t they act?

Pattern of Neglect

Accountability isn’t about tearing down institutions—it’s about building them back stronger. It’s about ensuring that the powerful remain in check, that agencies tasked with protecting us don’t lose sight of their mission. Without accountability, the very framework of our Constitution and laws begins to crack, allowing the rot of negligence and unchecked authority to seep in. The FBI’s failures, as explored in this article, are not isolated mistakes but part of a systemic pattern of neglect. These failures don’t just reflect poor decision-making—they reveal a dangerous reliance on reactive measures rather than preventive action.

Data from Domestic Violence Cases

One of the most glaring examples of this pattern lies in the FBI’s handling of domestic violence cases. Time and again, reports of violent behavior or weapons possession go uninvestigated, leaving dangerous individuals free to escalate their actions. These failures often result in tragedies that could have been prevented.

Domestic violence is one of the strongest predictors of mass violence. A staggering number of mass shooters have a history of domestic abuse. Yet, despite this well-documented connection, the FBI often fails to prioritize these cases. Whether it’s a lack of resources, poor internal coordination, or simple apathy, the result is the same: lives are lost, families are devastated, and communities are left wondering why the warning signs were ignored.

Systemic Issues: Over-Reliance on Reactive Measures

The FBI’s failures often stem from a flawed approach to its mission. The agency appears to rely far too heavily on reactive measures—responding to events after they occur—rather than focusing on prevention.

• Failure to Investigate Credible Threats: In cases like Parkland, Aztec, and Apalachee, credible warnings were ignored because they didn’t seem "urgent" enough.

• Bureaucratic Inertia: Layers of approval and internal silos prevent timely action, even when the evidence is clear.

• Focus on High-Profile Cases: Resources are often diverted to politically or publicly charged investigations, leaving more "ordinary" cases under-prioritized.

This reactive mindset isn’t just inefficient—it’s deadly. Prevention requires vigilance, foresight, and, above all, a willingness to act on credible intelligence before it’s too late.

Implications of FBI Inaction

Impact on Public Safety

The FBI’s inability—or unwillingness—to act on credible threats has a direct and devastating impact on public safety. Every ignored tip, every closed case, and every delayed investigation leaves communities vulnerable. Schools, workplaces, and public spaces become hunting grounds for individuals who should have been stopped long before they could act.

These failures create a ripple effect of fear and insecurity. When the very agency tasked with protecting us can’t or won’t do its job, how can Americans feel safe in their daily lives?

Erosion of Trust

For the families of victims, the FBI’s failures are more than just statistics—they’re personal. Parents who lost children in Parkland, siblings who grieve loved ones killed in Aztec, and survivors of countless other tragedies are left with one haunting question: Why didn’t they act?

This erosion of trust isn’t just a problem for the FBI—it’s a problem for democracy. When Americans lose faith in their institutions, the foundations of our society begin to crumble. Without trust, there is no cooperation. Without cooperation, there is no progress.

Transitioning to January 6: The Weaponization of Failure

This brings us to the central purpose of this series: holding the FBI accountable for its actions—or inactions—not just in school shootings but in events like January 6. The failures we’ve outlined in this article—ignoring warnings, over-relying on reactive measures, and neglecting credible threats—didn’t just contribute to preventable tragedies. They also laid the groundwork for something even more dangerous: the political weaponization of failure.

What Happened on January 6

The FBI’s failures before January 6 weren’t just about negligence—they were part of a broader systemic problem:

• Withholding Intelligence: Threat assessments were not adequately shared with U.S. Capitol Police or the National Guard, leaving them unprepared for the chaos that unfolded.

• Embedded Informants: Confidential Human Sources (CHSs) embedded with groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers provided critical information, yet no action was taken to prevent escalation.

• Selective Enforcement: The FBI’s focus on targeting certain groups while ignoring others fueled a narrative of bias and partisanship.

Weaponizing Failure

What followed January 6 was a masterclass in narrative control. The FBI’s inaction and systemic issues became a tool for political agendas:

• Painting Patriots as Terrorists: Groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, many of whom include veterans and law enforcement officers, were labeled as "domestic terrorists."

• Silencing Dissent: The events of January 6 were used to justify sweeping surveillance measures and crackdowns on dissent, further eroding constitutional freedoms.

• Media Amplification: The media played a key role in shaping the narrative, highlighting selective aspects of the story while ignoring others, such as the lack of focus on groups like Antifa.

Accountability isn’t just about pointing fingers—it’s about ensuring that our institutions serve the people they were created to protect. The FBI’s failures, both in preventing tragedies like school shootings and in handling January 6, reveal a deep and systemic problem that can no longer be ignored. This is not about tearing down an agency—it’s about holding it accountable so it can fulfill its mission without bias or negligence.

In the next article, we’ll dive deeper into January 6, examining the systemic failures that allowed the chaos to unfold and how those failures were later weaponized for political gain. If we don’t demand accountability now, these patterns will continue, costing more lives, more freedom, and more trust. The time for action is now.

“To truly measure success or failure, one must understand not only the scale but also the stakes—because without grasping the full impact, accountability becomes meaningless.”