The first 45 days of 2018 brought several school shootings, and along with it heartbreak and agony. On Valentine’s Day, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz opened fire with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at his former school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida. Near the end of the school day, Cruz entered the building and pulled a fire alarm, hoping to draw out students into the hallway. He killed 17 and injured more before police detained him. As his motives are analyzed and the subject of gun violence is pushed to the forefront once again, it’s necessary to honor the victims of this horrific act of domestic terrorism. Authorities started releasing names of the victims, which include teachers and students.
One of the first names released was Martin Duque, a 14-year-old freshman at the school. On Wednesday, his family couldn’t reach him because he didn’t have a cell phone, according to The Miami Herald. His older brother, Miguel, launched a GoFundMe campaign to help his family pay for the funeral. “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’s [happened] on this date. All my prayers to the lost ones.”
As families tried to gather information about their loved ones, Joaquin Oliver’s sister took to social media to ask if anyone had heard about her brother. By Thursday morning, his friends began posting tributes online, according to ThinkProgress.
The rest of the victims include Alyssa Al Hadeff, Meadow Pollack, Scott Beigel, Carmen Schentrup, Nick Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Peter Wang, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalo, and Alaina Petty.
