Parkland father climbs crane near White House, demands Biden do more on gun control: Report

(WASHINGTON) — On Monday’s fourth anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, during which his son was killed, Manuel Oliver climbed atop a construction crane near the White House and unfurled a banner calling on President Joe Biden to do more to get gun control legislation passed, according to news reports.

Photos showed a large banner depicting an image of his son, Joaquin Oliver, who was one of 17 victims in the shooting at the high school in Parkland, Florida, and read “45K PEOPLE DIED FROM GUN VIOLENCE ON YOUR WATCH.”

Oliver climbed down the crane with another individual at approximately 10 a.m., and was met by officers who escorted him into an ambulance in handcuffs for a brief moment before he was led away, ABC News affiliate WJLA-TV reported.

In a statement to ABC News, the Metropolitan Police Department said officers located and apprehended one individual on the 700 block of 15th St., NW at approximately 5:40 a.m.

“Two other individuals were located on a crane near the location. At approximately 10:06 am, the two individuals located on the crane were taken into custody as well. Preliminarily, three individuals were arrested from the scene,” the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed.

The Metropolitan Police Department did not release the identities of the individuals arrested, but WJLA identified Oliver.

In a statement marking the shooting’s anniversary, Biden said his administration stands with the Parkland families, “Americans in every corner of our country who have lost loved ones to gun violence or had their lives forever altered by a shooting” and “those working to end this epidemic of gun violence.”

“I have put forward a comprehensive plan to reduce gun crime that includes curbing the proliferation of ‘ghost’ guns, cracking down on gun dealers who willfully violate the law, issuing model extreme risk protection order legislation for states, and promoting safe firearm storage, among other efforts,” Biden wrote.

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