When will it stop? — Inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting

My condolences are with the victims of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and their families.

On February 14, the sounds of gunshots were heard all across the campus of MSDHS in Parkland, Fla. When it was almost for school to be dismissed, staff and students enacted a “code red” lockdown in response to the sounds.

At 2:30 p.m. ET, 19-year-old Nikolaus Cruz, a former student at MSDHS, was in the institution with a semi automatic rifle. For more than an hour, he was freely roaming the campus with his gun.

An overview of the school and the police evacuation route/plan.

The gun used by Cruz.

What we know about the causalities:

• 17 have died

• Many are in critical condition or are injured

Students after being released from the lockdown.

Firsthand Accounts From Students 

According to the LA Times, Hanna Siren was the third floor of the school as she burst into tears as shots are being fired in the class next to her. After safely exiting the premise of the school, she told a reporter that the “people next door to [her] must not have locked their door… they all got shot.”

A photo taken by a student, hiding in a classroom, during the shooting.

Andy Pedroza was returning to class when he heard the shots, as reported by the Washington Post. He immediately ran into the boy’s bathroom and hid in a stall. As thoughts were racing through his head, he made the choice to not crouch on the toilet.

“I thought I would make too much noise,” he told the WP. After 20 minutes, he said the shots stopped and the feeling of relief came as he heard a police radio. So Andy took a risk, he sprinted out toward the noise and found salvation.

Jason Snytte was on the first floor where the shots happened first. According to NBC, he noticed their classroom door was open, and after hearing the six distinct shots, he ran and closed it. If he had not, everyone in the classroom would have been exposed to the shooter.

Derval Walton told the NY Post that he was outside when he saw kids running out, bathed in blood, and falling onto the grass.

A photo from a student’s Snapchat video. You can hear the distinct shots fired in the background. Click here for the video.

Students being evacuated from the campus. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Grieving parents and guardians waiting for the safe return of their children.

Donald Trump tweeted this in response:

I am completely heartbroken. Hearing these stories and watching the video, it jolts me into reality. As long as guns are still sold, this school shooting could easily happen at any one of our schools. The idea of someone entering campus with a fully loaded gun is completely tangible. It is no longer only a fear which lingers in the depths of my nightmares.

The Reality

According to the Huffington Post, every 63 hours, one school shooting will occur. Every 63 hours, there will be adolescent casualties at the malice hands of gun violence.