Warning: The events discussed in this article deal with an intense issue and may be triggering and disturbing to some people.
As many of you may have heard, the United States has yet again been struck by another horrible tragedy. On Wednesday, February 14th, a high school in Parkland Florida was the victim of a mass shooting. A teen gunman, identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was accused of opening fire with a semi-automatic rifle at his former high school. The teen has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Along with these victims, 14 others were wounded, 5 with life-threatening injuries.
A football coach. An athletic director. And young, fresh-faced students…...
These are the victims:
Alyssa Alhadeff Alyssa was 14. In a Facebook post, her mother said Alyssa was a talented soccer player and creative writer and had an amazing personality, the Sun-Sentinel reports. "I just spent the last two hours putting the funeral arrangements for my daughter's funeral, who's 14," Lori Alhadeff said in an interview on CNN. "President Trump, please do something. Do something! Action! We need it now! These kids need safety now!"
Scott Beigel Beigel, 35, was a geography teacher and the school's cross-country coach. He was killed after he unlocked a door to allow students in to hide from the shooter, according to the Sun-Sentinel. "Mr. Beigel was my hero, and he still forever will be my hero," Friend told CNN. "I will never forget the actions that he took for me and for fellow students in the classroom. Martin Duque Anguiano Martin, 14, was a freshman at the school, according to the Miami Herald. "Words cannot describe my pain," his brother Miguel wrote on Instragram. "I love brother Martin you'll be missed buddy. I know you're in a better place. Duques forever man I love you junior!!! R.I.P Martin Duque!"
Nicholas Dworet Nicholas, 17, was a senior at the school. Andre Bailey, head coach at Dworet's swim club, told The Indianapolis Star that the swimmer made huge strides in his life in the last 18 months: working hard at school and in the pool.
Aaron Feis Feis, 37, graduated from Douglas High School in 1999 and had been an assistant football coach at the school since 2002, the Sun-Sentinel reported. He had worked as a security guard at the school for at least eight years.
He reportedly died from wounds he sustained while shielding students from bullets.
Jamie Guttenberg Jamie was 14. Speaking at a candlelight vigil held Thursday night, Fred Guttenberg spoke of Jamie in a moving tribute: "I sent her to school yesterday, and she was supposed to be safe," he said choking back tears. "My job is to protect my children, and I sent my kid to school."
Chris Hixon Hixon, 49, was fatally injured after he raced to the scene of the shooting to try to help students, the school's head football coach told NPR. Hixon was the wrestling coach, along with his role as athletic director. "It's hard to be AD and a coach but he did it because he just loved it so much," says Willis May Jr. Hixon loved being with the students — "he'd get out there and wrestle with them." May described Hixon as a "great man" with a "great sense of humor" who loved his family. He added that Hixon was very proud of his military background.
Luke Hoyer Luke, 15, played basketball and was an NBA fan — and he was quiet but happy, his cousin Grant Cox told The New York Times. "I know Luke loved his family," Cox said. "He had a huge heart."
Cara Loughran Cara was 14 and loved the beach, according to the Times. "We are absolutely gutted," her aunt, Lindsay Fontana, wrote in a Facebook post seen by the newspaper. "While your thoughts are appreciated, I beg you to DO SOMETHING. This should not have happened to our niece Cara and it cannot happen to other people's families."
Gina Montalto Gina was 14 and a member of the school marching band's winter guard, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Joaquin Oliver Joaquin was 17. He moved with his family to the U.S. from Venezuela when he was 3, the Herald reports. Friends told the Times that he played basketball in a city rec league and loved to write poetry.
Alaina Petty Alaina was 14, according to a Facebook post by her church in Coral Springs. It said that another member of the church had been shot twice but was expected to recover. "It is impossible to sum up all that Alaina was, and meant, to her family & friends," the family wrote in a statement to the Herald. "Alaina was a vibrant and determined young woman, loved by all who knew her."
Meadow Pollack Meadow, 18, was a senior who planned to attend Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., in the fall, The Herald reports. "She was just unbelievable," her father, Andrew Pollack, told the Times. "She was a very strong-willed young girl who had everything going for her."
Helena Ramsay
Helena was 17.
Alex Schachter
Alex, 14, played trombone in the marching band, the Times reports.
His father told the Times that he was "a sweetheart of a kid" who "just wanted to do well and make his parents happy."
His older brother, also a student at Douglas, survived the shooting.
Carmen Schentrup Carmen, 16, was a standout student. In September she was named a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist.
Peter Wang Peter, 15, was in the [J]ROTC program, according to the Herald. His cousin told the newspaper that Peter was in study hall when the shooting began and that he had been holding a door so others could escape. His family reportedly owned a Chinese restaurant and was preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year on Thursday.
There is no way to emphasize the remembrance and purpose of these individuals. Innocent people, suddenly had their lives taken away by a wicked act. Unfortunately, these names are added to a list of countless others who had lost their lives in a mass school shooting. Just seven weeks into 2018, there have been eight shootings at US schools that have resulted in injury or death. This number is far too high, and whats horrifying, is that it may keep growing higher; unless we do something about it.
It is clear that there cannot be just one solution to this problem. This is a complex issue, and it has cost many people their lives, and results in arguments on how to solve it. Shortly after the Parkland shooting, trump made a speech about his views. He claims that we are dealing with a “mental health problem”. “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” Mr Trump wrote. “Neighbours and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
The President did not mention once in his speech about the guns issue. Instead, he promised to prioritize school safety and “tackle the difficult issue of mental health”. He did not say the word “gun” or discuss AR-15s, which have repeatedly been used in mass shootings. Although mental health is immensely an important topic, and should be recognized, it is not the only problem in this case.
I thoroughly believe that there is not one single cause of these mass shootings. But I do know that we need to do something about it. Kids should NOT be scared to go to school, nor should events associated with gun violence occur so often, that it could be considered “normal”. All over the U.S., students and teachers are protesting for a change. Whether it is contacting their government, rallying peacefully; they are determined to make their voices heard, and fight for the safety of innocent people.
Parkland students say, 'We are going to be the last mass shooting'
* The opinions and ideas stated in this article are not the views of Greenwood High School
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