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- The Parkland high school shooting was over 4 years ago. These are the 17 victims.
The Parkland high school shooting was over 4 years ago. These are the 17 victims.
Michelle Mark,Jake Epstein
- A deadly mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killed 17 people two years ago on February 14, 2018.
- The victims' friends, family members, and classmates have sought to share stories about their lives in the wake of the shooting.
A Florida jury on Thursday recommended that the gunman be sentenced to life in prison without parole for the massacre on February 14, 2018. As the verdicts were read, families of the victims appeared frustrated that the gunman would not face the death penalty and later said the sentence was setting a "precedent for the next mass killing."
In the wake of the shooting, the relatives and friends of the victims have often turned to activism in an effort to honor those who died — but they've also sought to share stories and memories of their loved ones.
Here are the victims of one of the deadliest mass shootings in America.
Alyssa Alhadeff, 14
Alhadeff was a star soccer player and known for her work volunteering at homeless shelters. She loved her debate class and spending time at the beach. Her friends remembered her for her smarts, kindness, and contagious laugh.
Her mother, Lori Alhadeff, recalled in a recent open letter the moment she learned a shooting had occurred at the high school.
"I knew you were gone," she wrote. "You were with me. I knew it."
Sources: The Miami Herald, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and dearworld.org
Scott Beigel, 35
A post shared by j e n n i f e r z e u n e r (@jenniferzeunerjewelry) on Feb 15, 2018 at 12:44pm PST
Beigel was a beloved coach, summer-camp counselor, and a first-year geography teacher. He was killed when the Parkland shooting first broke out, as he tried to rush students back into his classroom.
He was known for his sense of humor and the honesty he brought to the cross-country runners he coached.
"As soon as we met Coach Beigel, we knew it was going to be a good year," Alyssa Fletcher told Runner's World.
Sources: The Miami Herald, CNN, Runner's World
Martin Duque Anguiano, 14
A post shared by R.I.P JR (@miguelduq19) on Feb 15, 2018 at 12:01am PST
Duque was a dedicated member of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, who aspired to one day become a Navy SEAL. His family remembered him for his kindness and caring nature.
"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," his brother Miguel wrote on a fundraiser for funeral expenses last year.
Sources: The Miami Herald, GoFundMe
Nicholas Dworet, 17
A post shared by Nick (@dnicm) on Jan 24, 2018 at 12:17pm PST
Dworet was the captain of the school's swim team, and was set to attend the University of Indianapolis on a swimming scholarship. His dream was to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
"He was on his way," said his mother, Annika Dworet. "That's the thing about getting cut short. Nick was right there. He was ready to go to the next level. One week before the tragedy, he had signed with the University of Indianapolis."
Sources: NBC News, The Miami Herald
Aaron Feis, 37
A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 7:03am PST
Feis was a widely admired football coach and security guard whom many students looked to as a mentor and a role model. He died a hero as he rushed to save students in the shooting.
"Feis had no gun, no rifle. And yet he ran toward helping students," former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said during Feis' funeral.
Source: ABC News
Jaime Guttenberg, 14
Chris Hixon, 49
A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 8:08am PST
Hixon was an athletic director and decorated Navy veteran who was so dedicated to his work that he volunteered his time to coach additional sports that the high school had discontinued.
During the shooting, Hixon raced toward the gunfire and tried to disarm the shooter.
"He always put others ahead of himself. He was the first to help people out," according to his longtime friend and colleague Dan Jacob. "He just loved teaching and coaching kids and watching them grow up."
Source: The Miami Herald
Luke Hoyer, 15
A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 8:42am PST
Hoyer was a soft-spoken freshman with a love for basketball, McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, and his pet dogs. He was so quiet that he was nicknamed the "king of one-word answers."
"Luke didn't need to say much; just having him around made the room feel warm and welcoming," his family wrote in his obituary. "We will continue to feel his presence in our hearts and souls. He will always be our Lukey-Bear."
Sources: The Miami Herald, Legacy.com
Cara Loughran, 14
A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 10:07am PST
Loughran honored her Irish heritage through the hours she spent practicing Irish dance. She was remembered as a "beautiful soul" who "always had a smile on her face," according to the Drake School of Irish Dance.
She was a top student and loved her cousins and going to the beach, her family members said.
Sources: The Miami Herald, CNN
Gina Montalto, 14
Joaquin Oliver, 17
They tryna hit me wit the RICO♂️ #3daysinarowunfollowmeifuwantbitch
A post shared by Joaquin Oliver (@slump_guac) on Dec 27, 2017 at 9:33pm PST
Oliver, known to his family and friends by the nickname "Guac," was best known for his talent as a writer and on the basketball court. He wrote short stories and poetry, and was a "fun, happy kid, always surrounded by friends" and family.
Oliver's parents have become gun-control activists in the months since his death. They wrote in a recent op-ed that they believe stronger gun-control laws would have prevented the Parkland shooting.
"Sometimes our activism makes people uncomfortable. People tell us that we are being too aggressive and confrontational with elected officials and gun rights enthusiasts. We do not care," they wrote. "Our son was taken from us, and we no longer get to be comfortable."
Sources: The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald
Alaina Petty, 14
A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 12:01pm PST
Petty was known for her determination, and her love of her Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps class. She drew immense satisfaction from her work volunteering for Hurricane Irma victims, and also participated in the "Helping Hands" program from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the aftermath of the shooting, her family has lobbied for stronger background-check laws for gun purchases — but they have also emphasized that they believe gun control laws wouldn't have stopped the Parkland shooting.
"One of [Alaina's] favorite things to do was go to the gun range," her father, Ryan Petty, said. "It's been personally painful that I haven't been able to talk about the one thing my daughter and I loved to do the most."
Meadow Pollack, 18
Pollack was known as a "princess" and a "fighter" to her friends and family members. She wanted to become an attorney and had already been accepted into Lynn University.
Pollack's father and brothers have become outspoken school-safety advocates in the wake of hr death, and sought to oust the Broward County officials who have been widely criticized over their handling of the shooting.
"I can't let my daughter's death be in vain. I can't let these people just get away with what they allowed to happen to my daughter," her father Andrew Pollack said.
Source: WPTV
Helena Ramsay, 17
Alex Schachter, 14
Schachter was known for his sweet, inquisitive nature and the way he adored his three siblings. He was a talented musician who played the trombone since middle school, and his Eagle Regiment Marching Band even won the state championship the year before he died.
"I was able to see him doing what he loved and succeeding at it," Schachter's father, Max Schachter, said in his eulogy.
Source: The Washington Post
Carmen Schentrup, 16
A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 1:11pm PST
Schentrup was a straight-A student and National Merit Scholar semifinalist. She had already been accepted to an honors program at the University of Florida, and dreamed of becoming a medical researcher and discovering a cure for ALS.
After her death, Schentrup's parents and siblings have dedicated themselves to gun-violence prevention activism.
"It's almost a compulsion," her father, Philip Schentrup, said. "It's something we feel we have to do."
Peter Wang, 15
A post shared by CNN (@cnn) on Feb 21, 2018 at 1:29pm PST
Wang was a proud member of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps who dreamed of attending West Point and eventually becoming a pilot. He has been hailed for his bravery during the shooting, holding open a door for students to escape to safety, even as he was gunned down himself.
In a rare honor, West Point posthumously admitted Wang to its class of 2025.
"It was an appropriate way for [the US Military Academy] to honor this brave young man," West Point said in a statement.
Sources: NBC News, The Miami Herald
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