Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz makes extraordinary deal with survivor of his school attack

Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz has struck an extraordinary civil settlement with one of the survivors of his massacre.

Nikolaz Cruz gunned down Anthony Borges during his massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February of 2018. 

Borges, now 21, was shot in the lungs, abdomen and legs but managed to survive the horrific mass shooting which saw Cruz murder 17 people and injure another 17. 

In a civil settlement between the two, Borges now owns Cruz's name and the murderer must now consult the young man if he wishes to grant any interview. 

Borges was separately awarded $1.25 million for his severe injuries from the school district in 2021. 

Parkland shooting victim Anthony Borges sits at his attorney's office in Wilton Manors, Fla., on Wednesday, June 26, 2024

In a civil settlement between the two, Borges now owns Cruz's name, seen here in 2019, and the murderer must now consult the young man if he wishes to grant any interview

His lawyer Alex Arreaza told the South Florida Sun Sentinel: '[Cruz] signed over any rights to his name. 

'The idea now is to shut him out. He will not be the one who decides when or how the story gets told.

'The idea is to keep him from being able to inflict further torture on his victims from jail.'

Arreaza had arranged a Zoom meeting with Cruz earlier this month and managed to persuade him into giving Borges the rights to his name. 

While Borges was absent from the meeting, his father Royer was present, saying: 'I have mixed feelings when I see his face.

'I don’t feel rage. I remind myself that you have to know and understand his story. 

'But I also thought, after what he took from my son, whatever he owns in this world, we should take it from him.'

The agreement means Cruz cannot into any agreement with documentary producers or authors without Borges' permission. 

Arreaza also said that this extends to news interviews and that he would fight it in court if necessary. 

It has also been agreed with the murderer that he will donate his brain to science so it can be studied.  

While Borges was absent from the meeting, his father Royer, sen here with his son, was present

Students are evacuated by police out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, after a shooting on Wednesday, February 14, 2018 

Arreaza added: 'What turns a person into Nikolas Cruz? Was it something that we can learn by studying his brain?” 

Speaking with the Sun Sentinel earlier this week, Borges expressed no interest in using the gunman's name for his own gain. 'I'm not with that mentality', he told the outlet. 

Following the horrific attack, lawsuits were filed by over 50 plaintiffs representing victims, uninjured survivors and their families.

Suits were filed against the Broward Sheriff's Office and the Broward School District who were in a position to reduce the harm that day but did not. 

Borges split from the other plaintiffs and received his $1.25 million payout, which was significantly more than any other claimant. 

A total of $25 million was shared by 51 plaintiffs which included the families of the 17 who died as well as students and staff injured. 

A probe into the school's response to the shooting in the aftermath of the incident showed some officers failed to promptly respond to the threat. 

While a report conducted in the aftermath showed how campus authorities struggled to communicate and respond as Cruz went on a shooting spree. 

Cruz made his way through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 14, 2018, ultimately killing 17 students and staff (pictured) 

Surveillance video captured Cruz, now 23, stalking the hallways of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, aged 19

Borges had testified at the sentencing trial of Cruz who is currently serving life behind bars without parole after being spared the death penalty. 

Cruz fired about 140 shots from his AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle during his six-minute attack, moving methodically from the first floor, to the second and third. 

The murderer had a long history of bizarre and sometimes violent behavior that spurred numerous home visits by Broward sheriff's deputies.

Cruz said he chose Valentine's Day to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again. 

Cruz said he began thinking about committing a school shooting while in middle school, about five years before he carried out the Valentine's Day tragedy. 

The prosecution during the three-month sentencing trial had argued Cruz's crime was both premeditated as well as heinous and cruel.

Nikolas Cruz, 24,is embraced by Chief Assistant Public Defender David Wheeler and smiles as it was revealed that the confessed killer would be getting life in prison - not the death penalty

Cruz was just 19 years old and had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas at the time of the massacre

Cruz's defense team had acknowledged the severity of his crimes, but asked jurors to consider mitigating factors including lifelong mental health disorders resulting from his biological mother's substance abuse during pregnancy.

Almost exactly a year before the rampage, he purchased his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and his planning became serious about seven months in advance as he researched previous mass shooters, saying he tried to learn from their experience. 

Cruz was just 19 years old and had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas at the time of the massacre. 

In his guilty plea, he said he was 'very sorry' and asked to be given a chance to help others.  

Cruz is now serving his life sentence somewhere in the Florida State Prison system, but his exact location isn't being disclosed by the state.