Attendees pass a wooden cross as they arrive at a candlelight vigil for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Parkland, Fla. Associated Press/Wilfredo LeeIt’s been over four-and-a-half years since a gunman armed with an AR-15 killed 17 students and staff members at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
A deadly mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people two years ago on February 14, 2018. The victims’ friends, family members, and classmates have sought to share stories about their lives in the wake of the shooting. A Florida jury on Thursday recommended that the gunman should be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
A Florida jury on Thursday recommended that the gunman be sentenced to life in prison without parole for the massacre on February 14, 2018. As the verdicts were read, families of the victims appeared frustrated that the gunman would not face the death penalty and later said the sentence was setting a “precedent for the next mass killing. “In the wake of the shooting, the relatives and friends of the victims have often turned to activism in an effort to honor those who died — but they’ve also sought to share stories and memories of their loved ones.
Here are the victims of one of the deadliest mass shootings in America. Alyssa Alhadeff, 14—Lori Alhadeff (@lorialhadeff) December 27, 2018Alhadeff was a star soccer player and known for her work volunteering at homeless shelters. She loved her debate class and spending time at the beach.
Her friends remembered her for her smarts, kindness, and contagious laugh. Her mother, Lori Alhadeff, recalled in a recent open letter the moment she learned a shooting had occurred at the high school. “I knew you were gone,” she wrote.
“You were with me. I knew it. “Sources: The Miami Herald, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and dearworld.
orgScott Beigel, 35 Another hero. This is 35-year- old Scott Beigel. He was my son’s friend’s Geography teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Beigel was murdered after letting students take shelter in his classroom & got in the way of the shooter as he tried to enter the class. Beigel saved many lives. 💔 A post shared by j e n n i f e r z e u n e r (@jenniferzeunerjewelry) on Feb 15, 2018 at 12:44pm PSTFeb 15, 2018 at 12:44pm PST Beigel was a beloved coach, summer-camp counselor, and a first-year geography teacher.
He was killed when the Parkland shooting first broke out, as he tried to rush students back into his classroom. He was known for his sense of humor and the honesty he brought to the cross-country runners he coached. “As soon as we met Coach Beigel, we knew it was going to be a good year,” Alyssa Fletcher told Runner’s World.
Sources: The Miami Herald, CNN, Runner’s WorldMartin Duque Anguiano, 14 Words can not describe my pain. 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! 🖤 A post shared by R.
I. P JR 🤞🏽 (@miguelduq19) on Feb 15, 2018 at 12:01am PSTFeb 15, 2018 at 12:01am PST Duque was a dedicated member of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, who aspired to one day become a Navy SEAL. His family remembered him for his kindness and caring nature.
“He was a very funny kid, outgoing and sometimes really quiet. He was sweet and caring and loved by all his family. Most of all he was my baby brother,” his brother Miguel wrote on a fundraiser for funeral expenses last year.
Sources: The Miami Herald, GoFundMeNicholas Dworet, 17 So happy to announce my verbal commitment to the university of Indianapolis. I can’t wait to spend the next 4 years here! I want to thank @carlos_vasquez00 @daria_chia, @tsaquatics, my parents, and my friends, I could have never done it without you guys. GO GREYHOUNDS!!! A post shared by Nick (@dnicm) on Jan 24, 2018 at 12:17pm PSTJan 24, 2018 at 12:17pm PST Dworet was the captain of the school’s swim team, and was set to attend the University of Indianapolis on a swimming scholarship.
His dream was to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. “He was on his way,” said his mother, Annika Dworet. “That’s the thing about getting cut short.
Nick was right there. He was ready to go to the next level. One week before the tragedy, he had signed with the University of Indianapolis.
“Sources: NBC News, The Miami HeraldAaron Feis, 37 Aaron Feis, 37. When the shooting began, Feis, an assistant football coach, ran toward the gunshots, a student said. Feis was shot when he threw himself in front of students to protect them, a football program spokeswoman said.
“He died the same way he lived––he put himself second,” she said. Feis was one of 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. (📷: MSDEagles/Twitter) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 7:03am PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 7:03am PST Feis was a widely admired football coach and security guard whom many students looked to as a mentor and a role model.
He died a hero as he rushed to save students in the shooting. “Feis had no gun, no rifle. And yet he ran toward helping students,” former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said during Feis’ funeral.
Source: ABC NewsJaime Guttenberg, 14Guttenberg was a straight-A student, a talented dancer, and an aspiring pediatric physical therapist. Her father, Fred Guttenberg, has become an outspoken advocate for gun safety legislation in the wake of her death. He wrote in a recent op-ed that his way of coping with her loss was by speaking out against gun violence.
“I should be teaching Jaime how to drive. I should be planning her Sweet 16, teasing her about her first boyfriend, watching her as she starts her first job,” he wrote. “I should be doing all the things the dad of a teenage daughter is meant to do.
Now, I visit her at a cemetery and hope this never happens to anyone else. “Sources: The Miami Herald, NewsweekChris Hixon, 49 Chris Hixon, 49. Hixon wasn’t just an athletic director.
He was a Naval reservist who, in 2007, deployed to Iraq; he was a wrestling coach, a loving husband and father, and someone students could lean on when they needed a ride or lunch money. “He just loved being around kids and giving back to the community,” his widow, Debra, said. Hixon was one of 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14.
(📷: Debbie Hixon/Getty Images) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 8:08am PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 8:08am PST Hixon was an athletic director and decorated Navy veteran who was so dedicated to his work that he volunteered his time to coach additional sports that the high school had discontinued. During the shooting, Hixon raced toward the gunfire and tried to disarm the shooter. “He always put others ahead of himself.
He was the first to help people out,” according to his longtime friend and colleague Dan Jacob. “He just loved teaching and coaching kids and watching them grow up. “Source: The Miami HeraldLuke Hoyer, 15 Luke Hoyer, 15.
He had a contagious smile, his grandmother, Janice Stroud, said. “Always happy, always smiling. ” Luke was “a good kid,” she said, who never got into trouble.
He was one of 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. (📷: Grant Cox) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 8:42am PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 8:42am PST Hoyer was a soft-spoken freshman with a love for basketball, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, and his pet dogs. He was so quiet that he was nicknamed the “king of one-word answers.
“”Luke didn’t need to say much; just having him around made the room feel warm and welcoming,” his family wrote in his obituary. “We will continue to feel his presence in our hearts and souls. He will always be our Lukey-Bear.
“Sources: The Miami Herald, Legacy. comCara Loughran, 14 Cara Loughran, 14. She was a dancer, and led a “beautiful life,” a neighbor said.
Her dance studio, the Drake School of Irish Dance in South Florida, said “Cara was a beautiful soul and always had a smile on her face. ” Cara was one of 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. (📷: Family photo) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 10:07am PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 10:07am PST Loughran honored her Irish heritage through the hours she spent practicing Irish dance.
She was remembered as a “beautiful soul” who “always had a smile on her face,” according to the Drake School of Irish Dance. She was a top student and loved her cousins and going to the beach, her family members said. Sources: The Miami Herald, CNNGina Montalto, 14Montalto was a proud member of her high school’s marching band, the Girl Scouts, and her local Catholic church.
She was an avid reader and a skilled artist, and her family remembered her as a generous, positive person. “Gina loved art from the time that she could pick up a crayon. It was a way for her to express herself that was very special to her,” her father Tony Montalto said.
Sources: The Miami Herald, Parkland TalkJoaquin Oliver, 17 They tryna hit me wit the RICO🧠💂🏽♂️ #3daysinarowunfollowmeifuwantbitch A post shared by Joaquin Oliver (@slump_guac) on Dec 27, 2017 at 9:33pm PSTDec 27, 2017 at 9:33pm PST Oliver, known to his family and friends by the nickname “Guac,” was best known for his talent as a writer and on the basketball court. He wrote short stories and poetry, and was a “fun, happy kid, always surrounded by friends” and family. Oliver’s parents have become gun-control activists in the months since his death.
They wrote in a recent op-ed that they believe stronger gun-control laws would have prevented the Parkland shooting. “Sometimes our activism makes people uncomfortable. People tell us that we are being too aggressive and confrontational with elected officials and gun rights enthusiasts.
We do not care,” they wrote. “Our son was taken from us, and we no longer get to be comfortable. “Sources: The Boston Globe, The Miami HeraldAlaina Petty, 14 Alaina Petty, 14.
She was a vibrant and determined teenager who “loved to serve,” her family said. She volunteered after Hurricane Irma hit Florida in September, and was a member of the junior ROTC at school. After her death in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the Army awarded Alaina a Medal of Heroism.
It was given to her family at her funeral service on Monday. (📷: Family photo) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 12:01pm PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 12:01pm PST Petty was known for her determination, and her love of her Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps class. She drew immense satisfaction from her work volunteering for Hurricane Irma victims, and also participated in the “Helping Hands” program from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the aftermath of the shooting, her family has lobbied for stronger background-check laws for gun purchases — but they have also emphasized that they believe gun control laws wouldn’t have stopped the Parkland shooting. “One of [Alaina’s] favorite things to do was go to the gun range,” her father, Ryan Petty, said. “It’s been personally painful that I haven’t been able to talk about the one thing my daughter and I loved to do the most.
“Sources: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Miami HeraldMeadow Pollack, 18—Andrew Pollack (@AndrewPollackFL) April 11, 2018Pollack was known as a “princess” and a “fighter” to her friends and family members. She wanted to become an attorney and had already been accepted into Lynn University. Pollack’s father and brothers have become outspoken school-safety advocates in the wake of hr death, and sought to oust the Broward County officials who have been widely criticized over their handling of the shooting.
“I can’t let my daughter’s death be in vain. I can’t let these people just get away with what they allowed to happen to my daughter,” her father Andrew Pollack said. Source: WPTVHelena Ramsay, 17Ramsay was known for her smarts and her wit.
She was a member of the Model United Nations and the First Priority Club youth organization. Originally from England, Ramsay developed a love of traveling and quickly adjusted to life in Florida. “She was the shy and quiet one,” her brother, Ellis Ramsay, said at her memorial service last year.
“She got her good looks from my parents and her street smarts from me. “Sources: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, The Miami HeraldAlex Schachter, 14 Alex Schachter, 14. He played the baritone and the trombone, and was in the school marching band and orchestra.
“I felt he really had a bright future on the trombone,” the school band director told the Sun-Sentinel. Alex’s family set up a scholarship fund in his name to help other students “experience the joys of music as well as fund increased security at schools,” according to the family’s Go Fund Me page. Alex was one of 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14.
(📷: Lisa Jackson Nesmith/Facebook) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 12:46pm PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 12:46pm PST Schachter was known for his sweet, inquisitive nature and the way he adored his three siblings. He was a talented musician who played the trombone since middle school, and his Eagle Regiment Marching Band even won the state championship the year before he died. “I was able to see him doing what he loved and succeeding at it,” Schachter’s father, Max Schachter, said in his eulogy.
Source: The Washington PostCarmen Schentrup, 16 Carmen Schentrup, 16. Carmen was a National Merit Scholar semifinalist, and friends and family described her as a straight-A student who “devoured” books, according to the Miami Herald. “Your family is forever in my thoughts and prayers.
I’m so sorry,” wrote one person on Twitter. Carmen was one of 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. (📷: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 1:11pm PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 1:11pm PST Schentrup was a straight-A student and National Merit Scholar semifinalist.
She had already been accepted to an honors program at the University of Florida, and dreamed of becoming a medical researcher and discovering a cure for ALS. After her death, Schentrup’s parents and siblings have dedicated themselves to gun-violence prevention activism. “It’s almost a compulsion,” her father, Philip Schentrup, said.
“It’s something we feel we have to do. “Sources: CNN, NPRPeter Wang, 15 Peter Wang, 15. His friends say he was shot while holding a door so others could escape.
As a member of the ROTC program, Peter dreamed of one day attending West Point and serving in the military, according to the Sun-Sentinel. After his death in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the Army awarded Peter a medal for heroism, and West Point announced it would posthumously offer him acceptance. (📷: Allen Breed/AP) A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 1:29pm PSTFeb 21, 2018 at 1:29pm PST Wang was a proud member of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps who dreamed of attending West Point and eventually becoming a pilot.
He has been hailed for his bravery during the shooting, holding open a door for students to escape to safety, even as he was gunned down himself. In a rare honor, West Point posthumously admitted Wang to its class of 2025. “It was an appropriate way for [the US Military Academy] to honor this brave young man,” West Point said in a statement.
Sources: NBC News, The Miami HeraldRead the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/parkland-shooting-victims-marjory-stoneman-douglas-high-school-2019-2
