What’s going on in Parkland?

On 2/14/2018, one of the most deadly high school shootings took place in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. There were reports of 17 deaths and 17 injured in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The gunman, Nikolas Cruz, was a student that attended the school. He was 19 and was fascinated with firearms and hunting. 

The Trial

When Nikolas was arrested, about 4 years later, his trial was set. During the trial of Nikolas Cruz, many families were angered and filled with hatred, many photos and video of the aftermath of the shooting were shared with the judge during the trial. On October 20th, 2021, Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty for what he had done, and was given a death sentence. Later on, On November 2nd, 2022, Nikolas Cruz was lifted of his death penalty, and was given a sentence of life in prison without parole by the jury. “We are beyond disappointed with this outcome” quoted Lori Alhadeff. “This should have been the death penalty, 100%. I sent my daughter to school and she was shot 8 times, I cannot understand, I don’t understand.” And Micheal Shulman quotes “This animal deserves to die. He hunted all these people, he planned it for months.”  Many families did not like this decision and believe he deserves the death sentence. Many families disapprove of the sentence, but that could not change anything. Scott Li quotes “Put him in prison, because if he dies, then he won’t suffer the consequences, the punishments over with the death sentence, but life in prison he will suffer every day.” 

Survivors

In the aftermath of the shooting, about 17 were killed and there were multiple photos taken. Families depressed from the horrifying aftermath. The final victim to be placed in the hospital was named Anthony Borges, and tremendously survived a whole 5 shots, and was then dubbed as “The True Iron Man” due to him taking 5 shots and blocking a door to save 20 children. Some survivors suffered from “Survivors Guilt”, this is when survivors start to feel immense guilt after surviving a tragedy. Other survivors were diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition where trauma can ruin simple activities and daily tasks due to the stress. Sadly, 2 survivors of the shooting, 19 year old Sydney Aiello and an unknown 16 year old boy both died to suicide because of the PTSD. 

About Nikolas Cruz

When Nikolas was a young boy, his biological mother abused lots of drugs and always drank alcohol. This caused many mental issues with Nikolas Cruz’s biological mother. Nikolas Cruz would regularly bring dead animals to school, usually getting him into trouble. After all the bad parenting skills of Nikolas Cruz’s mother, he snapped.

Summary

To sum everything up, after Nikolas went to the circuit court and pleaded guilty for his actions, the jury decided to give him a life sentence in prison, angering many parents and citizens.