April 20, 1999
COLUMBINE
On April 20, 1999, one tragic event began a horrible trend of pointless loss of life. Columbine High School was the target of choice for Eric Harris and accomplice Dylan Klebold. Eric and Dylan planned a vicious attack on their high school, beginning the shooting at 11:19 am. In only 16 minutes, Eric and Dylan had brutally murdered 12 students and 1 teacher, later turning their guns on themselves.
Something like this had never happened before, and this was the start of a terrible trend that would continue on into the 2000s.
December 14, 2012
SANDY HOOK
In Newton, Connecticut on December 14, 2012, 20 year old Adam Lanza opened fire upon elementary kids attending school at Sandy Hook Elementary. Lanza killed his mother earlier that morning at an unknown time, he then drove his mother's car to Sandy Hook Elementary and opened fire at approximately 9:30 am. By the time he took his own life, Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six teachers, the first two deaths being principal Dawn Hochsprung and school psychologist Mary Sterlach.
Adam Lanza's actions sent shockwaves through out the world. A mother whose children attend the school currently says, "It's still so raw...We're all just holding our breath."
February 18, 2018
MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS
One of the most recent mass school shootings to occur is the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. The assailant, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire upon his former classmates on February 18, 2018, at about 2:20 pm. There was a fire drill earlier that day, so when the fire alarm was pulled again 10 minutes until school is out, students were quite confused. Not too long after the alarm was pulled, Cruz opened fire killing 17 people.
Cruz is now awaiting trial sometime in September, 2019. While this is the most recent mass shooting, many smaller school shootings have happened before and after Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.