Florida shooter Nikolas Cruz's younger brother regrets bullying his sibling

The younger brother of the Parkland school shooter expressed remorse for bullying his sibling and said he wished he could have prevented the deadly massacre, according to a sheriff’s report.

Zachary Cruz, who recently turned 18, told investigators he felt guilty that his brother Nikolas Cruz had opened fire at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida on Valentine’s Day, according to a sheriff’s report cited by CNN.

He said he wished he could have prevented the shooting, and regrets bullying Nikolas Cruz with his friends, according to the report.

Zachary also shared that he resented his brother because he thought Nikolas was the favored one between them, according to the report.

The two brothers were adopted by Lynda and Roger Cruz. But the father died of a heart attack several years ago, and Lynda passed away from pneumonia in November.

RELATED: A look back at the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting

Nikolas Cruz made a 911 call in the days following his mother’s death and told police he was struggling, according to the Miami Herald.

“I lost my mother a couple days ago and I’m dealing with some things right now. I kind of got mad and started punching walls.”

Cruz, who purchased a semiautomatic rifle legally, exhibited several red flags over the years, including social media posts showing off several weapons, and online comments that declared, “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”

The police were called to his home nearly two dozen times in the decade leading up to deadly attack, and two people called the FBI about Nikolas Cruz as recently as September and January.

He remains in custody, as the survivors have returned to high school amid a renewed call for gun control across the country.

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