Funeral service held for Florida victim Alyssa Alhadeff

The first heartbreaking funeral services have been held today for two of the Florida high school shooting victims.

Both Alyssa Alhadeff, 14, and Meadow Pollack, 18, were among the 17 people shot dead when Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, on Wednesday.

Dozens of distraught mourners turned out for their funerals on Friday, which were both held at the Star of David Memorial Gardens Chapel in North Lauderdale.

One mourner at Alhadeff’s service, who has not yet been identified, had to be rushed to hospital after she collapsed as she left the heartbreaking ceremony. It is not yet clear whether the woman fainted or suffered a more serious medical issue.

Alhadeff’s mother, who demanded that Donald Trump act on gun control in a furious TV interview yesterday, was joined by family, friends and her daughter’s classmates for the touching ceremony.

A few hours later, several teenagers were seen in floods of tears as they left Pollack’s funeral, with many clinging to each other for support.

Many students were seen leaving Pollack’s funeral in floods of tears on Friday. The 18-year-old was among the 17 killed when Nikolas Cruz, a former student, opened fire at her high school

A funeral was also held today for fellow Florida high school shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff, whose mother demanded that Donald Trump act on gun control in a furious TV interview (pictured, mourners arrive at the Garden of Aaron at Star of David Memorial Gardens)

One of the mourners at Alhadeff’s funeral collapsed while leaving the ceremony and had to be rushed to hospital. Pictured; a woman wipes a tear as she arrives before a funeral service for Alhadeff on Friday, February 16

Mourners embrace each other as they arrive for the funeral service of Alyssa Alhadeff. Alhadeff’s is the first funeral to be held for any of the 17 victims of the Florida mass shooting

Funerals were held today for both Alyssa Alhadeff (left) and Meadow Pollack (right) who were both killed during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

The night before the funeral, Alhadeff’s mother, Lori Alhadeff, attended a candlelit vigil with more than 1,000 other mourners. 

While there, the grieving mother gave an emotional interview to CNN where she screamed at President Trump to stop the killing of children at schools in this country by taking action on guns.

‘President Trump, please do something!’ she pleaded, her voice breaking.  ‘Do something. Action! We need it now! These kids need safety now,’ Alhadeff begged as tears streamed down her face. 

‘The gunman, a crazy person, just walks right into the school, knocks down the window of my child’s door, and starts shooting – shooting her and killing her. 

‘President Trump, you say, what can you do? You can stop the guns from getting into these children’s hands!’

At her daughters’ funeral, family and friends were seen wiping away tears and hugging each other for support. Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie also attended the private service. 

Most of the mourners wore black while many brought flowers for the teenage victim. There were so many mourners in fact that Broward Sheirff’s Office were brought in to direct traffic.  

Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa was killed in the Florida high shooting, unleashed on President Trump on Thursday, screaming for him to prevent another massacre yesterday

Today, dozens of mourners, dressed in black, arrived at the Garden of Aaron at Star of David Memorial Gardens for the teen’s funeral

At Alhadeff’s funeral, family and friends were seen walking arm in arm for the service 

There were so many mourners in fact that Broward Sheirff’s Office were brought in to direct traffic

Two friends of the teen were seen hugging each other for support before the service for Alhadeff, who was gunned down by Nikolas Cruz just two days ago

Most of the mourners wore black while many brought flowers for the teenage victim

Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie arrived for the funeral service on Friday morning 

Lori Alhadeff first shared news of her daughter’s death on social media on Wednesday in the hours after the mass shooting.  

‘My Daughter Alyssa was killed today by a horrific act of violence. I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed,’ she wrote. ‘

Alyssa was a talented soccer player, so smart, an amazing personality, incredible creative writer, and all she had to offer the world was love. She believed in people for being so honest. 

‘A knife is stabbed in my heart. I wish I could of taken those bullets for you. I will always love you and your memory will live on forever. Please kiss your children, tell them you love them, stand by them no matter what they want to be. 

‘To Alyssa’s Friends honor Alyssa by doing something fabulous in your life. Don’t ever give up and inspire for greatness. Live for Alyssa! Be her voice and breathe for her. Alyssa loved you all forever!’ she said.  

The family of Meadow Pollack stand behind a hearse as they prepare to travel to her funeral at the Star of David Memorial Gardens Chapel which ‘specializes in serving the Jewish community’

A pine casket, typical of Jewish funerals, containing the remains of Meadow Pollack is rolled into the Jewish congregation Kol Tikvah 

A relative of the 18-year-old is comforted by another woman as they make their way to the hearse ahead of Pollack’s funeral

The hearse carrying Meadow Pollack, a victim of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, leaves Temple K’ol Tikvah after her funeral 

Family and friends console each other at Pollack’s funeral after her untimely death at the hands of Nikolas Cruz 

Many of the young teens were distraught as they left the funeral of their beloved classmate 

Several left sobbing after attending the funeral, just two days after a gunman opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,

Family and friends consoled each other as they arrive for the funeral of Meadow Pollack, a victim of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

A young boy puts his arm around another teen as they arrive for the funeral of Meadow Pollack

A memorial for Meadow Pollack, one of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, sits in a park in Parkland, Florida on February 16

Alhadeff also played soccer for Parkland Travel Soccer who posted that the teen had been ‘a loved and well-respected member of our club and community.’

Fellow shooting victim Meadow Pollack’s funeral was held later that day, again at the Star of David Memorial Gardens Chapel which ‘specializes in serving the Jewish community’.

Pollack, 18, a senior, had recently been accepted at Lynn University in Boca Raton when she was gunned down. 

Both teens were to be laid to rest just two days after the horrific attack on their school. The Jewish faith stipulates that followers should be buried as soon as possible after their death. 

She ‘was a beautiful girl, inside and out,’ her cousin Jake Maisner told The Sun Sentinel. 

Mourners are seen crying at the funeral of Alyssa Alhadeff at the Garden of Aaron at Star of David Memorial Gardens on February 16 

A program is seen from the funeral of Alyssa Alhadeff, one of 17 people killed in the February 15 shooting 

‘She was the baby of the family,’ he said. ‘Everyone wanted to protect her.’

Another funeral service is scheduled Sunday for 14-year-old Jaime Guttenberg. 

It is not yet clear when funerals for the remaining 14 victims will be held.

Seven of the 15 students injured in the shooting remain in hospital, one in critical condition. The hospitalized victims’ identities have not been released.

The funerals are being held a day after more than a thousand people turned out at the candlelit vigil to remember the 14 students and three teenagers gunned down by Nikolas Cruz, 19, on Wednesday. 

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, Peter Wang, 15, Alex Schachter, 14, and Helena Ramsey, 17, and Jaime Guttenberg, were all killed on Wednesday, as were track coach Aaron Feis, 37, geography teacher Scott Beigel, 35, and athletic director Chris Hixon, 49.

The vigil began with a moment of silence for those slain at the school and audible sobs rose from the crowd as the names of victims were read. Dressed in the school’s colors, some held flowers while others wielded signs asking for action to fight school violence, including gun control.

Cruz, 19, had stormed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Wednesday afternoon armed with an assault rifle. 

Friends, family, neighbors and classmates all turned up to say their final farewells to the teen 

People arrive before a funeral service for Alyssa Alhadeff – one of the victims of Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Luis Rodriguez arrived with a bouquet of white flowers for the funeral, and was accompanied in by his mom Heydi Albornoz

Three women, in dark clothing and shakes, arrive for the funeral of Alyssa Alhadeff at the Garden of Aaron at Star of David Memorial

Two young women arrive holding hands before a funeral service for Alyssa Alhadeff at the Star of David Funeral Chapel in North Lauderdale

Police blocked off the road and helped direct mourners for the service on Friday in the wake of the school shooting

A teen sits in his parents’ car, composing himself, before attending the funeral of Alhadeff

Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said Cruz was a former student at the school but had been expelled for unknown ‘disciplinary reasons’ last year. 

It has since emerged that the FBI missed multiple opportunities to intervene after they were alerted not once, but twice about the shooter.  

The FBI received information from an individual who knew Nikolas Cruz in early January warning the agency that the boy might stage an attack.

‘The caller provided information about Cruz’s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting,’ said the FBI in a statement on Friday.

The agency went on to state that this information, which came in over their Public Access Line, should have been classified as ‘a potential threat to life’ and the Miami field office notified about the information.

Those protocols were not followed however for reasons that are still not clear, and on Wednesday Cruz shot dead 17 people.

Gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, at is seen on a closed circuit television screen during a bond hearing in front of Broward Judge Kim Mollica at the Broward County Courthouse on Thursday

Cruz (left and right in orange) mostly kept his head down for the brief bond hearing on Thursday 

Holiday in hell: At the same time, Cruz was posting multiple images of himself holding guns and wearing facemasks to his Instagram page (Cruz’s Instagram page above)

They also failed to follow up on an investigation when a YouTuber flagged that Cruz had left a worrying comment on one of his videos, saying he was ‘going to be a professional school shooter’  

Police were also called to Nikolas Cruz’s family’s Parkland home 39 times since 2010, according to police records obtained byCNN.  

The sheriff’s office received a range of emergency calls which included: ‘mentally ill person,’ ‘child/elderly abuse,’ ‘domestic disturbance,’ ‘missing person,’ and several others.

Cruz moved in with a friend’s family after his adoptive mother, 68-year-old Lynda Cruz, passed away in November from pneumonia.  

Cruz, 19, is now in custody and appeared in court on Thursday to be charged with 17 counts of murder.

He has confessed to the massacre, claiming he heard ‘demonic’ voices telling him to kill.

Several of the grieving families of his victims have called for the death penalty. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up by the city to benefit the victims. To donate to it, click here.  

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, was also killed shielding students