Seventeen people lost their lives Wednesday in a tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A heroic teacher, an assistant football coach, and many, many beloved students were among the dead. Here is a list of the victims and their pictures.
Alyssa Alhadeff, a freshman soccer player, was among the victims of the horrific shooting Wednesday.
Alyssa Alhadeff, a 15-year-old freshman soccer player, was confirmed dead Thursday afternoon.
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 15, 2018
"To Alyssa's friends, honor Alyssa by doing something fabulous in your life," her family said in a statement. https://t.co/tRC5x8tGVb #Parkland pic.twitter.com/4TkaKulYZc
Her mother Lori wrote about her daughter in a heart-wrenching Facebook post:
My Daughter Alyssa was killed today by a horrific act of violence. I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed.
Alyssa was a talented soccer player, so smart, an amazing personality, incredible creative writer, and all she had to offer the world was love. She believed in people for being so honest. A knife is stabbed in my heart. I wish I could [have] taken those bullets for you. I will always love you and your memory will live on forever.
Please kiss your children, tell them you love them, stand by them no matter what they want to be. To Alyssa’s Friends honor Alyssa by doing something fabulous in your life. Don’t ever give up and inspire for greatness. Live for Alyssa! Be her voice and breathe for her. Alyssa loved you all forever!"
Scott Beigel, a 35 year-old geography teacher, died after being struck by a bullet while trying to lock the door to shelter students in his classroom.
Scott Beigel, the Head Coach of the Stoneman Douglas Cross Country team was killed in the shooting yesterday. He was 35.
— Cross Country Probs (@CrossProb) February 15, 2018
"I will never forget the actions that he took for me and my fellow students... I am alive today because of him" - Kelsey Friend
Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/y23UbpL63L
One of his students, Kelsey Friend, told CNN “I am alive today because of him…He unlocked the door and let us in. I thought he was behind me but he wasn’t.”
Martin Duque Anguiano, a 14-year-old, was another victim.
"Words can not describe my pain," Martin Duque Anguiano's brother wrote in an Instagram caption in wake of the deadly Parkland shooting. "I know you're in a better place." https://t.co/OIHnEgDAJH pic.twitter.com/xfrvSCvpCm
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 16, 2018
His older brother Miguel posted a tribute to him on Instagram.
“He was a very funny kid, outgoing and sometimes really quiet,” he wrote. “He was sweet and caring and loved by all his family. Most of all he was my baby brother. My family and I have no words to describe the event that has happened on this date, all my prayers to the lost ones. My family and I will appreciate anything that we can get helped with. R.I.P Martin Duque.”
Nicholas Dworet was a high school senior and aspiring swimmer who had committed to joining the University of Indianapolis Swim Team in the fall.
Nicholas Dworet was "a happy young man who embodied the values of our program," his swim team wrote on Facebook; the Stoneman Douglas senior was killed in Wednesday's shooting https://t.co/1dCOlY0qQK pic.twitter.com/c9TAdrVaIL
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 16, 2018
University of Indianapolis President Robert Manuel said in a statement Thursday that the university will find ways to help Dworet’s family.
“Nick’s death is a reminder that we are connected to the larger world, and when tragedy hits in places around the world, it oftentimes affects us at home,” he said.
Assistant football coach Aaron Feis is being remembered as a hero after he died shielding students from bullets Wednesday.
Aaron Feis, a football coach, was married with a daughter. He was killed protecting students. #DouglasHighSchool pic.twitter.com/L9zRY2wrgs
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 15, 2018
School spokeswoman Denise Lehtio told CNN, "he died the same way he lived -- he put himself second. He was a very kind soul, a very nice man. He died a hero."
Jaime Guttenberg, 14, was also among the victims. Her aunt wrote that her niece always looked out for kids who were bullied and she “probably had been kind to the student who shot her."
Jaime Guttenberg was remembered as “the most beautiful, kind-hearted, driven, funny and sweet girl" in a touching tribute from her cousin. Her brother Jesse made it out of the school safely. https://t.co/tRC5x8tGVb #Parkland pic.twitter.com/v8lZpmhlyV
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 15, 2018
“My heart is broken. Yesterday, Jennifer Guttenberg and I lost our baby girl to a violent shooting at her school,” Jaime’s father, Fred Guttenberg, wrote on Facebook. “We lost our daughter and my son Jesse Guttenberg lost his sister. I am broken as I write this trying to figure out how my family gets through this.”
Chris Hixon, the school’s athletic director and wrestling coach, was confirmed dead Thursday evening and many students remembered him fondly.
RIP Chris Hixon. I left Douglas to take a job at a rival school. I came back to watch a lacrosse game to find Chris running the ticket gate. He shook my hand, asked how I was, let me in for free and said “once an Eagle, always an Eagle.” #DouglasStrong pic.twitter.com/71g8Ct1jLs
— Aaron Gonzales (@ACGonzales7) February 15, 2018
“Coach Hixon, for me, was a father figure,” Karlos Valentin, a senior heavyweight on the team told The Sun Sentinel. “We were pretty much with him six days a week – three-to-four-to-five hours. His loss was just terrible. I feel like I just lost an uncle.”
Another Broward County athletic director, Jason Stein, told the Sentinel that he feels for Hixon’s wife and special-needs son that he leaves behind.
“It is devastating,” he said. “His son was with him everywhere. Chris epitomized what an athletic director was all about.”
Luke Hoyer, 15, was confirmed dead Thursday by his grandparents. “He was a good kid. He never got into trouble,” his grandmother said.
Luke Hoyer, 15, was a loving, sweet person who loved basketball and "smiled all the time," his aunt said. His parents searched for their son at hospitals before finally going to the law enforcement command center, where they learned he had died. https://t.co/GTYlvICkSm pic.twitter.com/33ynFv865J
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 16, 2018
Cara Loughran, a 14-year-old member of Drake School of Irish Dance, was among the victims of the shooting.
Cara Loughran, 14, was one of the youngest victims.
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 16, 2018
Her aunt described Cara as an "excellent student," who "loved the beach" and her cousins.
“This morning, I had to tell my 8-year-old daughters that their sweet cousin Cara was killed in the shooting." (Photo: Facebook) pic.twitter.com/VSGC976snR
Baltimore Ravens running back Alex Collins, also a student of the Drake School of Irish Dance in South Florida, posted a tribute to Loughran.
The school shooting yesterday hit home. The Drake School of Irish Dance is located near Douglas HS. We had three Irish dancers that attended Douglas. We received confirmation a few hours ago we lost one of the girls, Cara Loughran. Two other girls saw and experienced unspeakable tragedy. My heart goes out to these girls, all their families, and their teacher Chrissy. Please pray for their families and the families affected by this tragedy. #DouglasHS #DrakeStrong"
Gina Montalto, a 14-year-old, was another victim. Her mother Jennifer wrote that she “will be missed by our family for all eternity” in a Facebook post.
“Our beautiful daughter, Gina Rose, was taken from us during the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” she said. “She was a smart, loving, caring, and strong girl who brightened any room she entered.”
"She was kind, caring always smiling and wanting to help," friends and relatives say of Gina Montalto, 14, who was killed in Wednesday's Florida school shooting. https://t.co/XzcEW2uEEd pic.twitter.com/Kj8yOg9IB0
— WSB Radio (@wsbradio) February 16, 2018
Joaquin Oliver was another of the victims. He was a 17-year-old Venezuelan who had obtained his U.S. citizenship just last year.
Joaquin Oliver: A 17-year-old student. He became a U.S. citizen in January 2017. #ParklandSchoolShooting https://t.co/unuUQC9nOa pic.twitter.com/EVlhVGGIN9
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) February 15, 2018
Alaina Petty, 14, was remembered by her family in a statement Thursday.
We are heartbroken by the loss we feel in the tragedy that unfolded yesterday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Our hearts go out to the families of all impacted by this tragedy, and our prayers are for their comfort and healing. We wish to thank our family, friends and the community for the love and support demonstrated to our family.
It is impossible to sum up all that Alaina was and meant to her family and friends. Alaina was a vibrant and determined young woman, loved by all who knew her. Alaina loved to serve. She served her community through her participation in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas JROTC program and her countless hours of service as a volunteer for the Helping Hands program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Alaina was part of hundreds of volunteers that rushed to the most heavily impacted areas of Florida to clean up and help rebuild the lives of those devastated by Hurricane Irma.
Alaina Petty was in her school JROTC program and volunteered for the “Helping Hands” program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. pic.twitter.com/ORFYbY5eiC
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 15, 2018
Meadow Pollack, 18, was described by family as a good student and the “baby” of her family with two older brothers.
“Everyone should know how great she was,” her cousin Jake Maisner, said. “She was a beautiful girl, inside and out.”
Meadow Pollack was a senior who planned to attend Lynn University in the fall.
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 16, 2018
"She was a beautiful, warm, loving and intelligent soul whose sense of humor and loyalty to friends made her beloved by all who knew her," her family wrote on a verified GoFundMe. (Photo: GoFundMe) pic.twitter.com/r8y65WuPhX
Helena Ramsay, 17, was described by her cousin, Jamie Page, as “a genuine, beautiful, and smart human being who had so much potential and the brightest future.”
#ParklandSchoolShooting victim
— Orlando Sentinel (@orlandosentinel) February 15, 2018
Helena Ramsay: 'Smart, kindhearted and thoughtful' https://t.co/ES80w0AXqq pic.twitter.com/Xpmp4ELRpY
Alex Schachter, a freshman trombone player, was remembered by Alexander Kaminsky who directs the bands at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Alex Schachter was a 14-year-old marching band member who loved basketball.
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 16, 2018
"He was like any other American kid," a family member said. "I can remember him wrestling around with his cousins. He was so full of love and life." (Photo: Twitter) pic.twitter.com/DtGrXbUANQ
“He was fairly quiet,” Kaminsky told the Sun Sentinel, adding that he worked hard.
“The improvement I witnessed from him was admirable and inspiring,” Kaminsky said. “I felt he really had a bright future on the trombone.”
Carmen Schentrup, 16, was remembered by friends and family on social media. She was a National Merit Scholar semifinalist with a bright future.
Carmen Schentrup, 16, was a National Merit Scholar Semifinalist for the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. pic.twitter.com/YMtwXwLzfM
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 16, 2018
Her cousin, Matt Brandow, said she was "the smartest and most intelligible 16-year-old I've ever met."
Peter Wong, 15, was a member of the school’s ROTC program. His cousin Aaron Chen told the Miami Herald that he was last seen wearing his uniform “as he held open the door so others could escape.”
1 of 17...Peter Wong...forever remembered. #ParklandShooting @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/p2AIEGE4pd
— Bianca Peters (@BIANCApeters8) February 16, 2018
His best friend, Gabriel Ammirata, said Peter was “funny, nice and a great friend. He’s been my best friend since third grade.”
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