James Snead is an American military intelligence analyst known for being a caretaker of Nikolas Cruz before he would commit the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting. ^{[4] [8]}

Snead lives with his wife, Kimberly and three children in Broward County and has lived in the state of Florida for many years. ^[8]

Snead is a decorated army veteran who served in the Middle East between 1988 and 1996. ^[8]

After his mother passed away due to complications with pneumonia, Cruz moved into the house of a family friend who decided to taken him in.

^[2]The location was in Lantana, yet due to conflicts related to his ownership of guns and accusing the people he lived with of stealing his money, he was in desperate need to find a new place to stay. One of Cruz' friend from the High School's JROTC convinced his parents, the Sneads, to have him stay with them. ^{[0] [4]}

After agreeing to having Cruz stay at the family home, James convinced Cruz to buy a locking gun safe to put inside of his room.

Cruz had a handful of guns, including the AR-15 and two other rifles that Snead said would be considered assault rifles. Cruz, a hunter, also had knives, BB guns and pellet guns. James took ownership of the key to the gun safe and would not allow Cruz inside of the safe without permission. ^[8]

James allowed Cruz to stay at his house as long as he followed the rules to T. He introduced Cruz to principles he referred to as "Adulting 101".

^[2]On two occasions, Cruz tried to unlock the safe.

Snead only allowed Cruz to unlock the safe once to clean the guns.

Cruz would make another attempt to open the safe, but James declined.

^[8]

On the day of the shooting, February 14th, 2018, Cruz had told the family that he skipping school that day as he never attends school on Valentine's Day. ^[2]Kimberly last saw him at the home some time around 10 a.m. and said he would be going fishing. She would later go to sleep as she had a night shift that day. ^[8]

Cruz texted James' son several times moments before he would commit the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He asked what classroom he was in, and that he was going to be watching a movie. He texted he had “something important” he wanted to tell the teen. Then he wrote: “Nothing man.” ^{[8] [2]}

Later in the afternoon, some time after the shooting, at around 2:30 p.m., James' son called sounding panic-stricken.

He was safe but heard shots fired on campus and would later help his classmates flee.

His son walked to Wal-Mart where he would pick him up.

During the drive, a SWAT commander called his cellphone and asked where his son Nikolas was.

James said to him Nikolas wasn’t his son and he didn’t know where he was.

^[8]

James then called the commander and asked to have police at his house as he wasn't sure if Kimberly was safe.

A SWAT team came to the house and secured the area.

The Sneads reunited with their son at the Broward Sheriff’s headquarters where he was being questioned in regards to any affiliation with the mass murder committed by Cruz, and soon found that he was innocent.

^[8]

The Snead family waited and when Cruz was being escorted into the building with his handcuffs and hospital gowns surround by the cops.

Kimberly tried to run at Cruz and strangle Cruz.

^[8]