By Rozany Guzman
Reports of a shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School came flooding in to law enforcement around 2:30 p.m. ET. The loud gunshots sent the students and faculty streaming out of the school in a state of panic and confusion. At least 17 were killed in the Valentine’s Day shooting, said Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.
The suspect is a 19-year-old alumni, Nikolas Cruz, who was expelled due to unspecified disciplinary reasons. In his wake, he left a litter of people sprawled outside the school awaiting an ambulance and to be treated for injuries. An additional 14 people were injured.
Nicole Baltzer was in her trigonometry class when she heard the fire alarm sound off and the students left their seats to evacuate. However, once she heard six gunshots, which most originally thought sounded like firecrackers, they all sprinted back inside. When passing by a class, a police officer asked her to close her eyes claiming that there “was nothing good to see in there.”
With the fire alarm sounding off just as the shooter began firing, students initially thought that the accident was part of the fire drill. However, once students realized that it was actually gunshots and not just “something else”, they ran for the canal, a student told CNN.
The students and staff had to deal with a loose gunman on campus for a little more than an hour until the suspect was finally apprehended just after 4 p.m.
So far we have at least 14 victims. Victims have been and continue to be transported to Broward Health Medical Center and Broward Health North hospital. #StonemanShooting
— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) February 14, 2018
Freshman Jason Snytte was in the classroom right next to the outside when the shots happened and ran to close the open door before he joined the rest of his class in the corner of a room. He and his classmates listened to their teacher and stayed put until the police came in and urged them to evacuate.
“We were all freaking out. Our hearts were racing,” he said. “We didn’t know what was happening.”
Joel Leffler, whose son and daughter both attend the school, had both his children back safe and sound, but eternally scarred and in shock.
“My son called me as it was unfolding, running. He had to jump a fence,” Leffler said. “My son heard around eight gun shots as he was running out.”
When he reached his daughter by phone, she was speaking in a panicked whisper. She was in the freshman hall, where the shooting took place, and she was being escorted by SWAT. She saw multiple dead bodies.
Agents from the FBI’s Miami Division was at the scene flanked by agents from the Miami Division of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Ironically, Parkland was named Florida’s safest city last year by an analysis conducted by the Washington-based National Council for Home Safety and Security, a home security industry trade association.
President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident and took to Twitter to extend his heart out to those who were affected by this tragedy.
My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 14, 2018
Marco Rubio also expressed his condolences on Twitter, calling it “that terrible day you pray never comes.”
Just spoke to Broward School Superintendent. Today is that terrible day you pray never comes.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 14, 2018
“This is a terrible day for Broward County, the state of Florida, the United States,” Israel said. “There really are no words.”
Although many lives were lost during the day of the celebration of love, the world extended their arms to embrace those who witnessed the disaster first-hand. Despite the attempts to bring the people down, they will always bounce back strong. Love always conquers hate.
