On February 14, 2018, Valentine’s Day, an expelled former student entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle and injured seventeen students and teachers. Seventeen others were killed.
It lasted six minutes.
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The shooter was captured and charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder.
It was the highest death toll for a high school shooting since Columbine in 1999, where 13 people died.
In the months after the shooting, survivors and allies rallied for stronger gun laws.
One month after the event, a national walkout was held and thousands of students raised their voices against gun violence.
On March 24th, the March for Our Lives was held in Washington, DC, with 880 similar events held around the world.
And their voices were heard.
The Florida Governor increased the age restriction for owning a gun from 18 to 21 and added a three-day wait period. For the conservative state, the change was a welcome surprise.
But, sadly, Parkland was not the tipping point people hoped it would be.
At a National Level, changes to gun laws still haven’t made inroads.
And at a more personal level, the survivors are still struggling more than a year later.
As of this writing, I think it’s fair to say that the death toll now sits at 19.
Only a few days ago it was revealed that 19-year-old survivor Sydney Aiello had died by suicide.
Aiello had suffered from survivors guilt after the attack, where she had been in a different building than the shooter.
She graduated that spring and became a student at Florida Atlantic University, but was recently diagnoses with PTSD after she found it difficult to attend classes without being frightened of another attack.
Now police are reporting that a second survivor has died, also apparently from suicide.
The person is still a student at the high school and has not been identified, since they are still a minor. Investigations are ongoing.
Our hearts go out to their friends and family, to the Aiello family, and to all of those affected by the events of February 14, 2018.
If you or someone you love needs support, here are a few resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 SuicidePreventionLifeline.org
Text HOME to 741741 in the U.S.
