Seventeen more lives have been lost in a place where they should feel safe, school. For years now, it has seemed that we cannot go a month without hearing of a new shooting in our country. On Feb. 14 around 2:30 a gunman entered South Florida High School. The details are still being established. This is what we know as of now:
The suspected gunman is former student, Nikolas Cruz. The 19 year old had been kicked out of school and was attending a different school district. It was reported that teachers were informed that he was a potential threat to the campus. 17 were confirmed dead and 14 people were treated at the hospitals for their injuries-five of those being in life threatening condition. The names of all seventeen victims have been released. Fifteen were students, two were staff who died protecting students. The suspected gunman pulled the fire alarm to herd students and faculty into the halls.

Through live updates on twitter students were able to communicate with the outside world. One user with the handle @TheCaptainAidan first tweeted that his school had an active shooter at 2:59. As his class sat there finishing their math test anticipating the end of the school day the “pop” were heard. Initially, he thought someone had popped a bag of chips or maybe it was firecrackers. Another student ran to the classroom banging on the door to be let in. While the fire alarm blared, instead of evacuating the teacher instructed the students to move out of the sight from the window. People were suspicious when the fire alarm first went off, as they had already had a drill earlier that morning. They locked the door and all sat against the wall on the same side as the door, so they weren’t seen. The lights were flicked off to make it seem empty. Aidan posted pictures of students sat down on the classroom floor behind desks. About 10 minutes later he had been updated on the news that there were multiple victims. It wasn’t until 4:25 that he was ensured that it was safe to be released. Eventually, the SWAT team liberated them in a single file line, with their hands on the back of the person in front of them.

Aaron Feis

Aaron Feis died a hero, shielding students from bullets. He was a football coach and security guard at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. A student of his told reporters that he heard Mr. Feis had protected three girls from the shooter. The head coach of the school’s football team said, “Hardcore, he coached hard. Real good line. He did a great job with the [offensive] line. He took pride with working with those guys. Loyalty – I trusted him. He had my back. He worked hard. Just a good man. Loved his family. Loved his brother — just an excellent family man.”

Chris Hixon

Chris Hixon was an Athletic director at a nearby school. People describe him as “the nicest guy.” In 2007, Hixon was deployed to Iraq as a US Naval Reservist. A friend of his shared a story that shines on how kind Hixon was. He said, “I left Douglas to take a job at a rival school. I came back to watch a lacrosse game to find Chris running the ticket gate. He shook my hand, asked how I was, let me in for free and said “once an Eagle, always an Eagle.”

Scott Beigel

Scott Beigel was a social studies teacher and cross country coach. Kelsey Friend was interviewed by CNN and credits him for saving her life. He had unlocked his classroom to rush students from the hall in. Before he got back to the class, he was killed. Friend emotionally said how thankful she was, “Mr. Beigel was my hero and he still will forever be my hero.”

Peter Wang, 14

Peter Wang lived and died by his moral code. He was a member of the school’s JROTC Program. Wang was holding the door open to allow others to escape when he was shot. The young man was wearing his ROTC uniform when he died. He and his cousin Aaron Chen came moved to the U.S from China 10 years ago. Chen say he was his best friend and “He wasn’t supposed to die. He was supposed to grow old with me.”

Meadow Pollack,18

Like many girls in their senior year of high school, Meadow was excited to be attending prom and graduating in the near future. She was set on attending Lynn University. Her family has set up a GoFundMe and says, “She was a beautiful, warm, loving and intelligent soul whose sense of humor and loyalty to friends made her beloved by all who knew her.”

Nicholas Dworet,17

Nicholas Dworet was a senior with big aspirations. As the captain of the swimming team, he had a passion for the sport that had him committed to the University Indianapolis’ swim team. He planned to attend there in the fall. Dworet had earned an academic scholarship. One of his coaches said simply, “everyone loved him.”

Joaquin Oliver,17

Joaquin Oliver is remembered as a fun guy who loved hanging out with his friends. His family and girlfriend are heartbroken from the loss. A friend tweeted, “We’ve lost a good kid, a good rapper and an even better friend.”

Carmen Schentrup, 16

Carmen Schentrup had a great road ahead of her. She was a 2017 National Merit Scholar semifinalist. Schentrup excelled academically and loved to play the piano. “I was in the same classroom as this beautiful soul, she was so bright and had her entire life ahead of her,” a classmate wrote about her

Luke Hoyer, 15

Luke Hoyer loved basketball and NBA players. He was a good kid that stayed away from trouble. His grandparents said of him, “He was a quiet, but happy individual…he could make you smile.” He had half of highschool and his whole life ahead of him.

Alex Schacter, 14

Alex Schachter was a marching band member who also loved basketball. He played the trombone. When he was five, Alex’s mother passed away. His brother was also at the school during the shooting, but luckily survived. His father said Alex was “so full of life and love”

Cara Loughran,14

Cara Loughran excelled academically, loved the beach, and was an Irish step dancer. Her aunt recalled how terrible it was to have to tell her 8 year old daughters that their beloved cousin had not survived. Her aunt pleaded on social media, “While your thoughts are appreciated, I beg you to DO SOMETHING.”

Alyssa Alhadeff, 14

Alyssa Alhadeff was a devoted soccer player. She was also a member of the debate team and a good student.The soccer club she played for said, “Alyssa Alhadeff was a loved and well respected member of our club and community.” Her mother appeared on CNN begging, “President Trump, please do something. Action, we need it now! ”

Gina Montalto

Gina Montalto was a freshman at the school whom was a part of the winter color guard team. Her former instructor reacted to the news, “My heart is broken into pieces. I will forever remember you my sweet angel.” Montalto’s parents describe her as a “smart, loving, caring, and strong girl.”

Alaina Petty, 14

Alaina Petty is among the very young victims of this horrendous event. She was a member of the Mormon congregation. Her Great-Aunt wrote “There are no hashtags for moments like this, only sadness.”

Martin Duque, 14

Martin Duque was a freshman at the highschool. Sadly, he did not have his cell phone and was unable to contact his family. Initially he was reported missing. His older brother who graduated from the high school wrote, “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. My family and I have no words to describe the event that has happened on this date, all my prayers to the lost ones.”

Jaime Guttenberg

Jaime attended the school along with her brother Jesse. He survived, she did not. On Facebook, her father wrote, “We lost our daughter and my son Jesse Guttenberg lost his sister. I am broken as I write this trying to figure out how my family gets through this… Jen and I will be figuring things out today and so we ask that you respect our privacy. We will be getting messages out later regarding visitation. Hugs to all and hold your children tight.”

Helena Ramsey, 17

Helena was looking forward to attending college next year. Those who knew her say she prioritized her studies. “Though she was somewhat reserved, she had a relentless motivation towards her academic studies, and her soft warm demeanor brought the best out in all who knew her. She was so brilliant and witty,” a family member said about her.