Six years after a gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the site of the tragic attack is finally being torn down. The former freshman building, where the deadly shooting took place, is set to be demolished in the coming weeks.
Broward County school district officials announced that the demolition process was scheduled to begin on Friday, with workers planning to dismantle the three-story building piece by piece, starting from the top floor. The initial start date was delayed due to severe weather conditions across South Florida.
Lori Alhadeff, who lost her daughter Alyssa in the shooting, expressed her relief at the long-awaited demolition. As the chair of the Broward County School Board and a parent of a current student at Stoneman Douglas High, Alhadeff emphasized the importance of removing the building as a step towards healing for both herself and the community.
The tragic event on February 14, 2018, left 14 students and three faculty members dead, with 17 others injured. The perpetrator, Nikolas Cruz, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to multiple counts of murder and attempted murder.
In the aftermath of the shooting, families of the victims and survivors became advocates for school safety and gun control measures. Organizations like March for Our Lives were founded by students to push for legislative changes in response to the tragedy.
Despite the demolition, the building had been preserved as a crime scene for years, serving as a reminder of the horrific events that unfolded that day. Blood stains, broken glass, and personal belongings of the victims remained untouched, until now.
Relatives of the victims, including Max Schachter and Tony Montalto, have visited the site multiple times, finding solace in the preservation of the building as a testament to the tragedy that occurred. As the demolition progresses, emotions are mixed, with some fearing that the community may forget the significance of what happened, while others find closure in the removal of the physical reminder of the tragedy.
The goal is for the demolition to be completed before the start of the new school year in August, marking a significant step in the healing process for the Parkland community.
