A father who lost his daughter in the Parkland shooting just over a year ago is speaking out after a second survivor committed suicide over the weekend.
On Saturday, a sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School died in an “apparent suicide,” according to the Miami Herald. He has not been publicly identified.
The sophomore was the second Parkland shooting survivor to take his life within a week.
On March 17, recent graduate Sydney Aiello took her own life after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the deadly shooting.
Aiello’s mother said her daughter lost a good friend in the shooting and had “survivor’s guilt,” Dearly reported.
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Parent, Ryan Petty, lost his daughter, Alaina, in the Parkland shooting. Now, he’s warning that action needs to be taken in order to prevent more survivors from taking their own lives.
Petty is comparing the situation to the 1999 Columbine shooting, in which 12 students and a teacher lost their lives.
Following the massacre, some victims and at least one parent committed suicide. The father told CBS News:
“We tried to get the warning out last year. Almost as many people died after Columbine has died during the event, and that was suicide.”
Local officials, including school district staff and law enforcement, met for an emergency meeting on Sunday, the Miami Herald reports.
The school district decided on giving parents the “Columbia Protocol,” a set of questions to ask at-risk students. Petty said:
“We lost 17 beautiful souls on Februrary 14 and… now it’s not only 18, it’s 19… The way to prevent number 20 is for parents to ask the questions: have you thought about killing yourself? … If they answer yes to those questions, they’re at risk and you need to get help.”
“During the Spring break, I encourage you to take time to speak with your children every day. Dinners are a great time for family conversation. We need to remove the stigma from talking about suicide.”
If you or a loved one are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.
“With keywords like ‘heartbroken’ and ‘problem’ and ‘stillborn’ and the two-hundred teardrop emoticons from my friends? Is that not something you could track?
“It was that very day that my husband and I came up with the idea…”
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2 Replies to “Second Parkland Shooting Survivor Commits Suicide. Shooting Victim’s Dad Warns of Another ‘Columbine’ Aftermath”
Michael Bankston2 years ago
I have always known soldiers to get PTSD, but not survivors of a massacre. Apparently, anyone who has experienced something devastating is at risk for developing PTSD.
There’s always hope! There ARE ways to combat repetitive thoughts…talk therapy.group therapy. And TODAY – America just banned bump stocks! It’s a start. Life isnt ALL bad. Seek the beauty of nature…animals….there ARE good people. It’s ok to be happy again!!?
Change the world…raise a hippie!
?Peace~ ✌~Love ? And
Flower Power ?
We are excited to announce Dearly has joined forces with Mama’s Uncut. Helping Mom’s across the United States answer questions on life’s big challenges.
I have always known soldiers to get PTSD, but not survivors of a massacre. Apparently, anyone who has experienced something devastating is at risk for developing PTSD.
There’s always hope! There ARE ways to combat repetitive thoughts…talk therapy.group therapy. And TODAY – America just banned bump stocks! It’s a start. Life isnt ALL bad. Seek the beauty of nature…animals….there ARE good people. It’s ok to be happy again!!?
Change the world…raise a hippie!
?Peace~ ✌~Love ? And
Flower Power ?