OC Man Threatened, Taunted Parkland Shooting Survivors: FBI

SANTA ANA, CA — The FBI arrested an Orange County man on suspicion of using Instagram to send threatening messages to victims of the Parkland, Florida, mass killing, officials said. Brandon Fleury was arrested Friday, Jan. 18, and granted bail after an appearance in Santa Ana court. He is now due in court in Miami on Monday, said Laura Eimiller of the FBI.

"Fleury is accused of cyberstalking and threats in interstate communications," between Dec. 22 and Jan. 11, according to the FBI affidavit in the case.

Fleury sent tagged Instagram messages to accounts used by "relatives and friends of students who were killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14, 2018," according to the affidavit.

"One post threatened to kidnap the message recipients, while others sought to harass the recipients by repeatedly taunting the relatives and friends of the MSD victims, cheering the deaths of their loved ones and, among other things, asking them to cry," the affidavit alleges.

The FBI said that Fleury used "a handful of Instagram accounts" on a computer in his home, where he lives with his father and brother, according to the FBI.

Fleury told FBI agents that he was using the social media site to "troll" the victims "and gain popularity," the affidavit alleges.

According to the FBI, Fleury "admitted to targeting family members who were 'activists' who had a significant social media presence."

The victims complained to sheriff's deputies in Broward County Florida "on or about Dec. 22," according to the FBI.

Fleury said he used various profiles with variations on the name of Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland mass shooter. Further, the FBI reported that he told agents that he was fascinated with Cruz and other mass shooters as well as serial killers such as Ted Bundy.

"Fleury did not show remorse for posting the comments but explained he would not follow through on the threats he communicated," the FBI alleged.

"He claimed that his messages were not threats, but were 'more like taunts,' " according to the FBI.

Fleury posted messages such as, "I killed your loved ones hahaha," the FBI reported.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report

Renee Schiavone Photo