aw reporter: ...ben bennight saw that name in the comment section of his youtube channel, along withated september 24: "i'm going to be a professional school shooter." bennight, a mississippi bail bondsman, immediately contacted , e f.b.i., and the next day, an agent came to his home. of they took a copy of the inreenshot, and i guess they initiated an investigation. pedon't know. i hope they did. and i didn't hear anything else about it until yesterday when they contacted me to meet again. >> reporter: robert lasky is in oarge of the f.b.i. investigation. this afternoon, he said the post was a dead end because it lacked specific information about the time, location, and identity of the person who posted it. >> the f.b.i. also conducted internal database reviews and open-source checks. no additional information was found to positively identify the person who posted this comment. >> reporter: but in 2015 and 2016, cruz had posted pictures of himself on instagram with ndapons. >> i could take threats like this by the dozens and send them to quantico every day and say, "what does this m

douglas high school gunman -- >> i don't know how many nikolas cruzs are on youtube -- >> reporter: ben bennight comment with his name in a youtube post, i'm going to be a shooter. immediately he contacted the fbi and an agent came to his home. >> they took a copy of the screen shot and i guess they initiated an investigation, i don't know. i hope they did. and i didn't hear anything else about it until yesterday when they contacted me to meet again. >> reporter: robert laskey is in charge of the fbi investigation. he said the post was a dead end because it lakd specific information about the time, location, and identity of the person who posted it. >> the fbi also conducted internal database reviews and open source checks. no additional information was found to positively identify the person who posted this comment. >> reporter: but in 2015 and 2016, cruz had posted pictures of himself on instagram with weapons. >> i could take threats like this by the dozens and send them to quantico every day and say what does this mean? it seldom means much without the background. >> reporter: ron hosko is a

now, his name is ben bennight, he lives in mississippi. he saw that one line comment under a youtube video he posted, it said, that one line comment, i'm going to be a professional school shooter. when he saw that, he says he immediately e-mailed a screen shot of it to the fbi's tips e-mail account, and that's when agents in the mississippi field office got back to him immediately and interviewed him in person the next day. that was september 25th. but we understand from bennight that agents were back in touch with him again yesterday after this shooting unfolded in florida. they even visited bennight in person, in mississippi. but, of course, as ben bennight had been selling them in september and just yesterday, he said he knew nothing about this poster or this gunman, if, in fact, they are one and the same. he said he just alerted authorities and youtube about this. he said he didn't know much else except that comment, that one line comment was disturbing. now, of course, we have reached out to the fbi. we have not heard back from them.

in september, video blogger ben bennight saw a disturbing comment on his youtube page. a commenter with the name nicholkolas cruz posting, "i'm g to be a professional school shooter." >> i found that to be odd and disturbing, so, i forwarded that screenshot to the fbi and -- >> the fbi tonight saying they tried, but could not track down who that user was. >> and tom llamas joins us tonight from outside the jail where cruz is being held. and we heard about his difficult childhood. you reported there neighbors and classmates talking about his fascination with guns. disciplined in school. ultimately expelled. people watching around the country tonight are going to say there were a lot of warning signs here. >> reporter: so many red flags, david. and tonight, his mental state is of major concern. his legal team tells us he's on suicide watch here at the jail. and his lawyers also telling us that he has struggled with mental illness throughout his life and had significant trauma when his mother recently passed away. david? >> tom llamas live in ft. lauderdale, not far where

back in september, ben bennight alerted the fbi after cruz left this chilling comment on his youtube page. "i'm going to be a professional school shooter." >> i just felt that it was important to get it to the proper authorities so they could do an investigation. >> reporter: the fbi says agents tried to track him down, but it was a dead end even though cruz used his real name. >> the fbi conducted database reviews, checks, but was unable to further identify the person who actually made the comment. >> reporter: cruz had an obsession with guns showing them off on an instagram account. neighbors say he shot their animals. >> he's like in our backyard shooting our neighbor's chickens like try to kill squirrels with rocks one time. >> reporter: he was expelled from school for unspecified disciplinary problems. students say he was a lone er banned from carrying a backpack because staff once found bullets in it. >> he would stare at everyone, he was very angry, he was very weird. >> reporter: today the school district couldn't give details about cruz saying they had no warning signs about

in september, video blogger ben bennight alerted them to a disturbing comment on his youtube page. a user with the name nick has -- nikolas cruz posting, i'm going to be a professional school shooter. >> thought that to be odd and disturbing. >> reporter: the fbi investigated, but turned up nothing. and tonight, a new glimpse of cruz from the minutes after the massacre. abc news obtaining this surveillance video showing cruz walking into a mcdonald's shortly before he was later arrested. according to law enforcement sources, cruz told investigators he heard voices in his head, telling him to conduct the attack. in the community where he grew up, neighbors like shelby speno describe a history of violence. >> you remember seeing police there at his house often when he lived near you guys? >> the police were in the driveway a lot. >> reporter: police today revealed they received 20 calls about cruz over the past few years. several people telling us how he tried to hurt and kill animals. >> they first thing was the incident where he had the gun and shooting the chickens. that was conce

it was september when ben bennight says he noticed an alarming comment on a video he posted on youtubethe comment read, i'm going to be a professional school shooter posted by a nikolas cruz. >> i thought that to be odd and disturbing, so i forwarded that screen shot to the fbi and reported it to youtube. >> reporter: after he reported the comment, bennight says an agent paid him a visit but he says he never heard from the fbi again until after the shooting wednesday when the same agent who questioned him last year knocked on his door again. >> i actually didn't make the connection till i asked the fbi agent what could this shooting possibly have to do with my youtube video. he said it's the same name and we think it might be the same person. >> reporter: the fbi says at the time of the post last year, they were unable to identify the person who made the comment. >> aggressive, crazy, weird, psycho. >> reporter: people who grew up with the shooter say he had a violent side even at a young age. >> he like cornered a squirrel and was like throwing rocks at it trying to kill it. it was ju

. >> reporter: ben bennight took a screen grab, flagged the comment and notified the fbi and youtube which removed it. >> i asked the fbi what could it have to do with my youtube video? they said it's the same name and probably the same person. >> reporter: the fbi thursday said it investigated but was not able to confirm the person who posted the comment was indeed she shooter. >> that might have been helpful information that could have prevented a tragedy. in of we had scrubbed the content before it could have been flagged for the fbi we wouldn't have had the chance of identifying and intervening. >> reporter: eric goldman is the codirector of the high- tech law institute at santa clara university where flags were at half-staff. the university hosted a seminar with tech firms about what done tenth shouldn't and should be allowed. goldman says social media companies are not aware what's happening on other platforms. >> they don't know if this is a random comment, if this is the early warning of a tragedy in the making. they don't have enough information to make the judgment call. >>

. >> reporter: ben bennight saw that name in the comments section of his youtube channel along with his post, dated september 24th, "i'm going to be a professional school shooter." bennight, a mississippi bail bondsman, immediately contacted the fbi, and the next day an agent came to his home. >> they took a copy of the screenshot, and i guess they initiated an investigation. i don't know. i hope they did. and i didn't hear anything else about it until yesterday when they contacted me to meet again. >> reporter: robert laskey is in charge of the fbi investigation. this afternoon he said the post was a dead end because it lacked specific information about the time, location, and identity of the person who posted it. >> the fbi also conducted internal database reviews and open source checks. no additional information was found to positively identify the person who posted this comment. >> reporter: but in 2015 and 2016 cruz had posted pictures of himself on instagram with weapons. >> i could take threats like this by the dozens and send them to quantico every day and say what does this mea

and ben bennight saw a troubling video on his youtube page where he claimed he wanted to be a professional school shooter. >> i thought that odd and disturbing. i forwarded that screen shot to the fbi. >> the fbi tonight saying they tried but couldn't track down who the user was. >> our reporter reporting. we have the names of 17 students and teachers who loots lives. 15 ears injured some fighting for lives. here is abc news anchor david muir >> the names of those lost beginning to emerge five students in their first year of high school. luke hoyer, cara will you have run and alyssa ahladeff. . gina montalto saying her daughter brightening any room. sthe will be missed. also lost martin duque. his older brother saying words can't describe the pain. jamie guttenberg's father saying we lost our dourt. "i" broken hugs to all and hold children tight. jauquin oliver became a u.s. citizen a year ago. alex schachter a member of the marching band. others making plans for college. and tonight remembering the teachers and staff who put students first. >> those heroes gave lives for our kids and prob

. >> reporter: ben bennight said he took a screen shot and notified the fbi and youtube, which removed it. >> i didn't make the connection until i asked the fbi agent what could the shooting possibly have to do with my youtube video? he said it's the same name and we think it might be the same person. >> reporter: the fbi thursday said it investigated but was not able to confirm the person who posted the comment was indeed the shooter. >> that might have been helpful information that could have prevented a tragedy. if we had scrubbed the content before it could have been provided to the fbi, we wouldn't have had a chance of identifying and intervening. >> reporter: eric goldman is the codirector of the high- tech law institute at santa clara university where flags were at half-staff. the university this month hosted a seminar with tech firms about what content should and shouldn't be allowed. goldman says the biggest takeaway is social media companies are not aware of what's happening on other platforms. >> they don't know if this is random comments or early warning of a tragedy in the

ben bennight is here to share his story. he joins us by phone. walk us through what you first did when you saw the comment that was posted? >> when i saw the comment come through my push notifications and youtube studio, it caught my attention. so i screen shotted it so i can share it with fbi. i reported it to youtube as spam. and, of course, when you do that, they take the comment down. and then i contacted the fbi. >> and how did the fbi respond? >> they responded pretty immediately. they -- i had a field agent contact me and meet me at my office the next morning. he sent down the information. >> so we just heard from the fbi special agent in charge, i think, in miami talking about this report and the fact that you had reported it to the fbi. this fbi special agent rob lasky at that press conference in broward county -- actually, we have that sound bite. we're going to play that for you. let's listen. >> in 2017 the fbi received information about a comment made on a youtube channel. the comment simply said, "i'm going to be a professional scho

. >> ben, bennight, we certainly know your ifrefforts won't go unnoticed. thank you for your time. >> thank you. >>> information warfare. investigators say they've done it once, so what's stopping russians from meddling in our elections again? the possible threat to the upcoming midterms next. i've been meaning to talk to you. oh no. well, you know, you're getting older. um, you might be experiencing some, ah, sensations. can't wait to be rescued? esurance roadside assistance lets you know when help will arrive. that's insurance for the modern world. esurance. click or call. but through goodt times and bad at t. rowe price we've helped our investors stay confident for over 80 years. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. >>> there should be no doubt that russia perceived that its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 u.s. midterm elections as a potential target for russian influence operations. >> has the president directed you and your agency to take specific actions to confront and blunt russian influence activities that a

ben bennight joins us now. reset the scene. you post a lot.ail bondsman, you put up a video. then what happens? >> well, i put up a video when i guess this particular guy found my video and comment. i reported it to the fbi. brian: did you right away. what was the video. do you know? do you remember what prompted this type of comment? >> i don't know. brian: so you called the fbi. what did the fbi do? >> the fbi sent out a couple field agents to my office pretty immediately. and they si wrote down whatever investigation i gave them and hopefully opened an investigation from there. brian: here is what they said they did from there after you did the response cybil thing. let's listen. >> the fbi field office of jackson, mississippi, received a tip about a comment posted to a youtube account by someone with the user name nikolas cruz. there was no additional information about the particular time, location, or further identifiers. no additional information was found to positively identify the person who posted this comment. brian: but, ben, you we

thanks very much, ben bennight. many people still compare the school shooting to a school shooting in colorado april 29, 1999. two people walked in and shot many students. a worker in the jefferson county school district, he joins us now. thank you for being with us. i just wonder on a personal level, when you see what happened here, and frankly every time this happens in some community, what goes through your head? >> it takes me right back. yesterday when i started getting texts saying you're in my thoughts and praryers, i'm thinking about you, if you need anything -- because i was aun we -- unaware. i had just gotten in from new jersey to denver. usually it means a school shooting. when i looked at the coverage, i saw the kids running out with their hands over their head, and it took me back to the kohl um b -- columbine march or the columbine run. it was so sad because two weeks ago i was talking to the maypeo of kentucky, helping them get set up with their kids. >> so much has been learned in columbine with law

. >> reporter: ben bennight a mississippi bail bondsman said he contacted the fbi in september when heomment on one of his youtube videos that troubled him. it said i'm going to be a professional school shooter, posted under the username nikolas cruz. the fbi visited bennight the next day. >> anybody that makes a public statement like that definitely needs to be investigated. >> reporter: but on thursday the fbi said the post was a dead end because it lacks specific information about the time location and identity of the person who posted it. >> no additional information was found to positively identify the person who posted this comment. >> reporter: after the columbine shooting in 1999 the u.s. secret service and education department published a handbook detailing how to prevent school attacks. but in that study, it did not -- it was not actually able to place a trait or behavior on a student to determine if they were in fact planning a school shooting. but obviously in the case of nikolas cruz, a lot of people believed he had the potential. >> yeah. now we have social media. jericka

back in september, ben bennight found this on his facebook page. i'm going to be a professional school shooter. the fbi agents said they tried to track down the person who posted the comment but hit a brick wall. cruz had no criminal history. but he had a troubled past. his mother died in november. he's being held without bail in an isolated cell on suicide watch. hoda and savannah? >> gabe, thank you. >>> now, back to that moving scene we showed you at the top of the show. thousands of people turn sining for a vigil to remember the victims and to mourn the potential that was lost. this as survivors try to cope with their overwhelming grief. nbc's kerry sanders has more on all this. hey, kerry. >> reporter: good morning. overnight, two victims were released from the hospital. that leaves, now here at the hospital, one in critical condition, six others in stable condition. but this morning, there are so many more victims who are recovering at home. not injured physically, but rather, emotionally wounded. this morning, inconsolable anguish for 17 dev

in september video blogger ben bennight saw a comment on his youtube page, a commenter with the name nikolas cruz posting "i'm going to be a professional school shooter." >> i thought that to be odd and disturbing, so i forwarded that screen shot to the fbi and reported it to youtube. >> reporter: the fbi looked into the post, but couldn't track down cruz. now, as far as cruz's mental state sources have told us he was in therapy at one point. family friends have told us he did take medication at one point but by all accounts when his mother died, george, he went into a treefa -- freefall of darkne darkness. >> emotionally broken as the public defender said. we have dan abrams here right now. so many signs of this young man mentally ill and almost by definition but that doesn't mean an insanity defense can succeed. >> just having been in therapy and a documented history of significant mental illness wouldn't necessarily be enough to win an insanity defense. we saw this in the aurora, colorado, shooting. in that movie theater. james holmes in that case was mentally ill. there's no ques

back in september, ben bennight alerted the fbi after cruz left this chilling comment on a youtube page. i'm going to be a professional school shooter. >> i felt it was important to give it to the proper authorities so they could do an investigation. >> reporter: the fbi says agents tried to track down the person who posted the comment but hit a brick wall. cruz had no criminal history. students and neighbors say he had a troubled past, however, and his mother had just died in november. right now he's being held without bail in an isolated cell on suicide watch. hoda and savannah? >> gabe, thank you. >>> now, back to that moving scene we showed you at the top of the show. thousands of people turning out for a vigil to remember the victims and, as one speaker put it, to mourn the potential that was lost, this as survivors try to cope with their overwhelming grief. nbc's kerry sanders has more on all this. hey, kerry. >> reporter: good morning. overnight, two victims were released from the hospital. that leaves now here at the hospital, one in critical condition, six others in stable cond

were warning signs missed here and this morning i spoke with a man from mississippi, his name is ben bennightwarned the fbi last september about someone who posted on his youtube channel a comment that said, i'm going to be a professional school shooter. now bennight says that that was nikolas cruz who posted that comment and that alarmed him and so he reached out to the fbi, the fbi came out to talk to him, they spent about 20 minutes with bennight asking him about that comment to his youtube post. he also told me that yesterday the fbi was back at his house after this shooting to, again, ask him more questions about this and again they spent about 20 minutes together. we reached out to the fbi about this, did they miss this warning sign, did they have any contact with cruz and what they told us this morning that they weren't going to comment but we heard in that news conference they did check this tip out and they checked their database but what it came down to was that they were unable to match cruz to that comment. so that's where this stands but the question is, did they have any contact