Students have shared the terrified messages they sent their loved ones as a gunman rampaged through their school killing 17 and leaving almost two dozen injured.
Barricading themselves in their classrooms, the Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School students sent what they believed could be their final messages to friends and family.
‘If I don’t make it I love you and appreciate everything you did for me,’ student Sarah Crescitelli, 15, wrote to her parents while hiding out for two hours in a school bathroom, in texts obtained by the Miami Herald.
‘Don’t talk that way,’ one parent responded. ‘The cops are all over.’
‘If I don’t make it I love you and appreciate everything you did for me,’ student Sarah Crescitelli, 15
Sarah Crescitelli (pictured) spent two hours hiding in a school bathroom before she was rescued by police
Sarah and her parents had an emotional reunion after the gunman was arrested at 4pm on Wednesday and the lockdown on the school was finally lifted.
A 14-year-old student texted his frantic parents who offered to come and pick him up after news of the active shooter situation at the school.
‘Is it all over? Mom wants to come get you now/ Is that even possible?’ his dad asked.
But the brave teen told his parents to stay away.
‘You could get hurt,’ he texted them.
‘Ok stay stay buddy love you,’ his dad replied. ‘Be safe man, stay hidden or play dead if there is an active shooter.’
The chilling messages show a dad urging his son to ‘make a blockage with the tables’ or ‘go in a closet’ to stay safe, while the student replied he could hear ‘screaming near by’
Another message shows a student and their loved one sharing notes on the location of the shooter
Traumatized parents were seen waiting for news after they rushed to school following reports of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland
The 14-year-old has since been reunited with his family.
One terrified student, named Hannah, began texting her sister Kaitlin to ask her for help.
‘Kaitlin there is a shooter on campus. I am not joking. Call 911 please. Send them to Douglas,’ she messaged. Her sister replied, asking if it was a joke.
‘Kaitlin I am not joking they just shot through the walls someone my class is injured.’
‘I love you so much,’ her sister responded.
The trapped student said she was ‘so scared’ before telling her sister how much she loved her and asking her to tell their parents that ‘I love them so much.’
Kaitlin later tweeted the correspondence, confirming that her sister was home safe.
One terrified student, named Hannah, began texting her sister Kaitlin to ask her for help
A mom got off her flight to find a terrifying list of messages from her child who was at the school during the shooting
Seventeen people were killed in one of the worst school mass shootings in history. Around 20 were injured when former student Nikolas Cruz, 19, allegedly opened fire with his AR-15 assault rifle.
The troubled loner, and white supremacist, sparked terror at the Parkland school, Florida, when the first gunshots rang out at 2.25pm.
Students fled for safety or huddled inside classrooms as the gunman prowled the halls.
James Harrison, a sophomore at the high school, texted his stepfather, ‘I love you,’ and said he was ‘really scared.’
He also texted his stepfather Joe, telling him to call 911 but not to ring him because he was hiding from the shooter.
A junior, who asked not to be named, told BuzzFeed News that he texted his family because he believed that ‘this could be the last thing I ever say to them.’
Students left the school on Wednesday with their arms on each other’s shoulders
An injured female was transported from the school on a stretcher by first responders on Wednesday afternoon. 17 were left dead and 15 were injured in the attack
The chilling messages show his dad urging his son to ‘make a blockage with the tables’ or ‘go in a closet’ to stay safe, while the student replied he could hear ‘screaming near by.’
‘I love you babes,’ his dad wrote, ‘U will be ok, just pray.’
‘I love you too,’ his son replied.
‘I just couldn’t believe it because there were so many shots that I heard and I was so scared and I was so anxious because I didn’t know what was going on,’ Harrison told Fox News after the shooting.
‘I saw everybody else in my class was texting their family members,’ he said, ‘so I just ended up picking up my phone just doing the exact same thing and trying to contact.’
Beth Feingold told the Associated Press that her daughter, Brittani, text her saying ‘We’re on code red’, adding ‘Mom, I’m so scared.’
She and her daughter were later reunited.
James Harrison, a sophomore at the high school, texted his stepfather, ‘I love you,’ and said he was ‘really scared’
One message showed that a student’s father was in tears after learning the news
Another student begged her dad to come and get her.
‘We’re in a real code red dad, get me ASAP it’s not a drill,’ read one message that an unidentified student’s father received.
‘I hear gunshots. We just got a code-red notification so get me ASAP. There are gunshots in our school. Hell, someone died. Come now.’
Len Murray told the AP that his 17-year-old son, who is a junior at the school, sent him a text saying: ‘Mom and Dad, there have been shots fired on campus at school. There are police sirens outside. I’m in the auditorium and the doors are locked,’ according to the AP.
Moments later the teenager texted, ‘I’m fine.’
Murray was among the scores of parents rushing to the school to see if their children were ok.
Gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, is in custody. He is a former student
When they arrived, they found the school on lockdown and the surrounding roads has been closed off.
Eventually, SWAT teams tracked down the suspected gunman, who is believed to have escaped the building by blending in with the other students, and he was arrested.
He is charged with 17 counts of murder and other charges.
Students Jaime Guttenberg, 14, Nicholas Dworet, a high school senior, Martin Duque, 14, Meadow Pollack, 18, Cara Loughran, Alaina Petty, 14, Joaquin Oliver, 17, Luke Hoyer, 15, Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, Gina Montalto, 14, Carmen Schentrup and Peter Wang, 15, Alex Schachter, and Helena Ramsey were all killed in the shooting.
Track coach Aaron Feis, 37, geography teacher Scott Beigel, 35, and athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, were also among the casualties. Fifteen people were injured.
PICTURED: Fourteen students, geography teacher, coach and athletic director shot dead in Florida high school massacre
Jaime Guttenberg, 14, (left) was described by relatives as a ‘kind-hearted, sweet’ girl. She attended the school with her younger brother who survived and rushed home afterwards. Senior Nicholas Dworet (right) was a gifted swimmer who had his sights set on 2020 Tokyo Olympics success. His devastated college student girlfriend is among those grieving his death. Friends said he was not just a talented athlete, but a ‘good guy’ who will be missed
Martin Duque, 14, (left) was missing for hours on Wednesday and his frantic family desperately appealed for him to get in touch on social media. On Thursday, his older brother Miguel confirmed his death. Martin was a freshman. Meadow Pollack, 18, (right) was preparing for college. Her father was at the school on Wednesday and showed her photograph around in the hope that she would be found alive
Cara Loughran (left) was missing on Wednesday afternoon. Her mother Denise and her father rushed to the designated hotel where parents were told to go to be reunited with their children in the hope that she would be found alive. Her grieving neighbor confirmed her death on Thursday. Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, (right) was eulogized by her mother who said she was a talented soccer player and creative mind. ‘All she had to offer the world was love… I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed,’ she said
Luke Hoyer, 15, (left) was described as a ‘precious’ child by his grandparents who confirmed his death. They found out about the shooting on television. They said he was a ‘good kid’ who ‘never got in trouble’. Joaquin Oliver, 17, (right) was also killed. Joaquin was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the US with his family for a ‘better future’, they said on Thursday
Gina Montalto, 15, (left) was described as a ‘light and joy’. She and Jaime, another victim, volunteered at a local project called The Friendship Initiative where they acted as buddies for children with special needs. Gina’s mother Jennifer shared pleas to find her on social media on Wednesday. Alaina Petty, 14, (right) was also killed. Her Mormon church confirmed her death, saying she was a ‘valiant’ member
Carmen Schentrup, 16, (left) was also killed in the shooting. Carmen was a gifted student who last year was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. It includes students who score above average in their SATs or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. ROTC student Peter Wang, 15, (right) also died. His parents speak little English and relied on their neighbor to post social media appeals looking for him. They went to the Marriott hotel with other parents to wait for news of him on Wednesday night and have since confirmed that he was among those killed
Alex Schachter, 14, (left) was also killed. His mother died when he was a child and he attended the school in Florida with his brother, who survived. The teenager’s father Max said he was a ‘sweetheart of a child’ who ‘just wanted to do well and please his parents’. Helena Ramsey, 17, (right) was described by relatives as a ‘reserved’ and studious girl who was due to go to college next year
Geography Scott Beigel, 35, (left) was shot dead as he tried to lock the door of his classroom again after letting a group of fleeing students in to hide. They were running away from the gunman. Aaron Feis, 37, (right) died acting as a human shield. The track coach had thrown himself on top of the kids to stop the bullets from hitting him. He was a former student and was also a security guard at the school where he had worked for eight years
Athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, (right) was also killed shielding students