PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - Some students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during Wednesday’s shooting tuned into 7News while they were on lockdown, desperate for information.
Dozens of students and three teachers locked themselves inside a classroom during the shooting. One teacher pulled up the 7News livestream on her laptop, and that’s when they knew help was on the way.
These alerts are what I followed as I hid in a corner with 20 other students and my teacher. Tremendous amount of appreciation to you guys.
— Ty (@TLoading4_) February 17, 2018
During the shooting, culinary instructor Ashley Kurth opened up her classroom and filled it with as many kids as she could.
“Chef Kurth took us in — about 30 to 40 students — in a matter of I would say 30 seconds,” said student David Hogg.
“I started with 29 kids in my room, and I ended with 65,” said Kurth.
Once she locked the door, Kurth said she felt like a sitting duck. With no information on the situation, she and her students felt powerless.
“You could see the shadows of the kids that were running by, you could hear the screams,” Kurth recalled. “Every single shot that was fired you could hear.”
She tuned into 7News to stay informed while locked in the room.
“I want to say thank you to you guys ’cause I had my laptop up, and the only way for us to know what was going on outside is we were watching your live feed on the helicopters,” said Kurth. “And then, when we see the SWAT team come on, you kind of breathe a little sigh of relief knowing that help is there.”
“You’re sitting there thinking to yourself, ‘This is it. This is it,'” said Kurth. “‘If he comes in there, I’m gonna do my best to get out [of] here, but if not, then you know what, I did my best that I could.'”
The students and teachers were eventually rescued by the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
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