PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - The school shooting in Texas Friday morning hit particularly close to home for students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who themselves were victims of gun violence just three short months ago.
Back on Feb. 14, Nikolas Cruz entered Stoneman Douglas and opened fire, ultimately killing 17 people.
According to authorities in Texas, 10 lives, most of them students, were taken at Santa Fe High School. Police have taken 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis into custody. Officials said the suspected shooter carried a shotgun and a revolver before he opened fire at the Houston-area high school.
Stoneman Douglas students were in class when they became aware of the Texas school shooting, Friday.
“It’s actually insane,” said student Carter Cooper. “It’s baffling. I’m shocked.”
Parents and students in the Parkland community posted their reactions on Twitter.
This has been my fear since February 14th, that another mass casualty shooting would happen before we did anything. Now, we have 8 more children dead and our leadership in Washington has done nothing. We do not need thoughts and prayers, we need action and we need it now.
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) May 18, 2018
To everyone at Santa Fe high school ,I hope youre safe, I’m so sorry this is happening, and I’m so sorry that it continues to https://t.co/zLRbrizYiD one should be in the situation that youre all currently in. Im not going to say thoughts and prayers but instead policy and action
— Sarah Chadwick (@Sarahchadwickk) May 18, 2018
We are fighting for you.
— David Hogg 🟧 (@davidhogg111) May 18, 2018
Since the Parkland school shooting, students all over the country have voiced their need for change with the Never Again movement.
March for Our Lives rallies were held all over the world in response to the Feb. 14 shooting. However, according to CNN, there has already been 22 school shootings this year, where someone was injured or killed.
To the students and faculty of Santa Fe High School, we are with you. #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/3DYXOhmwsP
— March For Our Lives ☮️🟧 (@AMarch4OurLives) May 18, 2018
7News caught up with some students outside Stoneman Douglas who said they could not believe the news.
“I believe it ’cause I know it’s gonna take forever for it to change,” said John Sanchez. “That’s the government that we live in, man.”
“Shocked. It’s crazy. Like, this just happened to our school, and now it’s happening to another school,” said Cooper. “This shouldn’t happen as often as it does.”
Andrew Pollack lost his daughter Meadow Pollack in the Parkland school shooting.
After hearing about the shooting at Santa Fe High School, he said he first thought about the moms and dads.
“I thought of the parents, what they’re gonna go through, how their lives are going to be changed,” Pollack said.
He said the only way to make a change is to strengthen school security. “We need single entry points with metal detectors with an armed guard at the metal detector,” Pollack said.
However, Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime Guttenberg was also killed in the Parkland shooting, said it’s a gun issue.
“We ought to create a national victim’s compensation fund for all victims of gun violence that is funded by gun manufacturers on every weapon sold and every weapon manufactured,” Guttenberg said.
Both fathers said they are offering their support to the Texas parents in mourning. They also said they will continue to fight for change.
After the Parkland shooting, many students organized the March for Our Lives, which was one of the largest marches on our nation’s capital. They potentially could be at it again after this most recent shooting.
https://twitter.com/mfolhouston/status/997600351254704128
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