We have heard about it before and dread the thought of it happening to people we know or ourselves, but the number of school shootings that have happened since the beginning of 2018 will hit you with the reality that you aren’t ready for yet. When I had first heard of the Parkland, Florida shooting, I was scrolling through Twitter and noticed a particular tweet getting a lot of attention.
Still locked in. I checked the local news and there is 20 victims. Long live Majory Stoneman Douglas High. pic.twitter.com/4kQMAlCBWt
— Aidan Minoff (@TheCaptainAidan) February 14, 2018
Aidan Minoff, a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, was keeping the world up to date with what was happening to him and his fellow classmates. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, 19, was considered a troubled teen who had been expelled from the school previously for fighting and having bullets on him during school. After this incident, he wasn’t allowed on campus with a bag.
During the school day, right before classes were to be dismissed, Cruz pulled the fire alarm to get students out of their classrooms. That is when the first gunshots were heard. Some teachers and staff told students to stay inside the classrooms because it was a trap. Cruz opened fire onto students in the hallways and outside of the building. The shooter shot into 5 classrooms, making his way up three floors of the building. Blending in with students and staff evacuating, Cruz left the premises. Eddie Bonilla who was interviewed said that there were “jokes around like that, saying that he’s the one to shoot up the school, but it turns out everyone predicted it.”
Many teachers and staff such as athletic director Chris Hixon, teacher Scott Beigel, and football coach Aaron Feis, put their lives in danger to protect students. The shooting resulted in 17 deaths and 14 injured. Cruz is being charged with 17 counts of premeditated murders. He appeared in court on February 15th and wasn’t given bond.
America has had 18 cases of school shootings since the beginning of the year. Social media shows that the nation is outraged and wants answers as to what will be done to keep students, and people in general safe, and if gun control laws will be changed to accommodate to the devastating circumstances happening in America.