PARKLAND, Fla. – In a tragic turn of events, another student who survived the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, died by apparent suicide on Saturday, March 23, 2019. This devastating news comes just a week after another survivor, Sydney Aiello, also took her own life.
Coral Springs Police received a call on Saturday night regarding a deceased individual at a private residence. Upon arrival, officers discovered the body of a juvenile, a current student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who appeared to have died by suicide, according to a police spokesman. Authorities have withheld the student’s name and further details, pending the medical examiner’s autopsy and the ongoing investigation.
The Miami Herald, which first reported the story, cited sources indicating the deceased was a male sophomore student.
The recent graduate, Sydney Aiello, who died the previous week, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and struggled with survivor’s guilt following the tragic events of February 14, 2018, where 17 students and staff members lost their lives. Her mother, Cara Aiello, told CBS Miami that Sydney had difficulty attending college classes due to her fear of being in a classroom. Watch the latest video at foxnews.com
Sydney was a close friend of Meadow Pollack, one of the victims of the school shooting. Ryan Petty, the father of Alaina Petty, who also died in the shooting, told the Miami Herald that the student who died Saturday night suffered a gunshot wound to the head. “The issue of suicide needs to be talked about,” Petty said. “This is another tragic example.”
David Hogg, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student and now an activist, addressed the students’ deaths on Twitter. “How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything? Rip 17 + 2,” Hogg wrote.
How many more kids have to be taken from us as a result of suicide for the government / school district to do anything? Rip 17+2 🧡😭
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) March 24, 2019
If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
(Photo: Screenshot Fox News)
Jim McNeff is a freelance writer and former managing editor of Law Enforcement Today. Before writing he served in law enforcement for thirty-one years. He retired as a police lieutenant after twenty-eight years with the Fountain Valley Police Department in Orange County, California. Prior to that he served the 3902 Security Police Squadron in the United States Air Force, assigned to the 1st Air Command and Control Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Jim holds a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Southwest University and graduated from the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute as well as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) course, Leadership in Police Organizations. He’s authored three books: The Spirit behind Badge 145, Justice Revealed, and Jurisdiction.
Jim has been married to his wife Jamie since 1983. They have three adult children and three grandchildren.