Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida woke up to a bloody morning on Wednesday when a former student allegedly unleashed a hail of gunfire killing at least 17 adults and school children. The 19-year-old suspect identified as Nikolas Cruz was expelled from the school for undetermined disciplinary reasons, he is due in court on Thursday.
While some students left the buildings, others sought cover in various hiding spots such as bathrooms and classrooms hoping to escape unhurt since the gunman seriously went on a rampage. According to students’ accounts the shooter may have been deranged and troubled throughout his time as a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
As the school went into a lockdown, students were filled with fear, all they did was send goodbyes to their loved ones and some shared shocking footages of the carnage on social media. Aidan, one of the students posted a photo on social media while on lockdown in his math class, “We have been liberated. God bless, America,” he tweeted after he was evacuated from the building. “Love each other. You may never know when it may be the last day you meet someone.” Another student by the name Sarah sent a love message to her parents while hiding in a bathroom, “if I don’t make it I love you and I appreciated everything you did for me”, she wrote in a text message, she was later rescued and she is now fine.
While hiding in a bathroom for two hours, this is the text Sarah Crescitelli sent her parents. Dad and Mom both crying re-reading it. #stonemanshooting @ pic.twitter.com/zN7RY8a4vE
— Chabeli Carrazana (@ChabeliH) February 15, 2018
The news spread across so fast and desperate parents assembled at the school searching for their children at the nearby Walmart where students and staff members had gathered. Florida Governor Rick Scott has since ordered the government flags to be flown at half-staff through Monday in honor of the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School which is a public school with a population of around 3,000 students.
The attack becomes the deadliest ever at an American high school after surpassing the 1999 rampage at Columbine high school in Littleton, Colorado that killed 12 teenage students and a teacher.
