Flags fly at half staff to honor victims of Parkland shooting on 7th anniversary
FLORIDA, Fla. - Friday marks the seventh anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, which claimed the lives of 17 people.
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To remember their lives, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared Friday Marjory Stoneman Douglas Remembrance Day in the state.
The proclamation asked for all American flags to be flown at half-staff at state and local buildings, and all Floridians to pause for a moment of silence at 10:17 a.m.
The backstory:
Seventeen people were killed when a gunman opened fire at MSD High School on February 14, 2018, at around 10:17 a.m.
The victims:
Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Beigel, Martin Duque Anguiano, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Christopher Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, and Peter Wang.
READ ABOUT THE VICTIMS: The victims of the 2018 Parkland high school massacre
The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, was formally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November 2022 and is now in a maximum-security prison.
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Cruz escaped the death penalty after a jury could not unanimously agree that he should be executed, as Florida law required at the time, a month prior.
What they're saying:
DeSantis said through Thursday’s proclamation that "we will never forget the heroes of that day who risked and sacrificed their lives to protect the students, teachers, faculty, and families of Parkland, including Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s teachers and faculty, who courageously safeguarded the lives of their students."
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The proclamation also said that the first responders and law enforcement officers who responded that day will never be forgotten, nor will how the Parkland community responded to the tragic events in the days, weeks, and months that followed the shooting.
The Source: This story was written using information provided by Governor Ron DeSantis and previous FOX 13 reporting.
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