Accused Florida Gunman to Appear in Court as Gun Debate Rages

Accused Florida Gunman to Appear in Court as Gun Debate Rages
Nikolas Cruz appears in court with attorney Melissa McNeil (L) for a status hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Feb. 19, 2018 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Mike Stocker-Pool/Getty Images
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The Florida teenager accused of carrying out the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in U.S. history will appear in court on Tuesday as a long-simmering national debate rages on between proponents of gun rights and advocates of firearms controls.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, is expected to be in a Broward County criminal court for a hearing on obtaining evidence from him, almost two weeks after 17 people were shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, an affluent suburb of Fort Lauderdale.