The 17 Parkland victims
PARKLAND, Fla. — Two were teachers who tried to save their students. There was a dancer, a talented swimmer and members of the marching band and color guard. In total, 17 people were killed Wednesday in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Here are their stories.
Alyssa Alhadeff, 14
Alyssa was a talented soccer player who could do anything she put her mind to, friends and family said. Her funeral Friday morning was the first for the victims. Hundreds of people attended, spilling out onto the sidewalk.
In a television interview after the shooting, Alyssa’s mother, Lori, begged President Trump, “This is not fair to our families that our children go to school and have to get killed .... Please do something. Do something! Action! We need it now.”
Scott Beigel, 35
Beigel, a geography teacher, was a beloved fixture at Camp Starlight in Pennsylvania, where he had worked summers since he was 19.
“He just loved being able to make connections with the kids and chat with them and help them however he could,” his girlfriend, Gwen Gossler, 32, said. “If they were having a hard time, he was always there to help.”
Beigel was shot and killed after unlocking a classroom door to usher his students to safety. He and Gossler were on the cusp of getting engaged to be married.
Martin Duque Anguiano, 14
Martin, a Mexican citizen, was born in Santa Teresa, a small rural town in the state of Guerrero, according to the Mexican government.
“He was a very funny kid, outgoing and sometimes really quiet,” his brother Miguel wrote on a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses. “He was sweet and caring and loved by all his family. Most of all he was my baby brother.”
Nicholas Dworet, 17
A senior who planned to join the University of Indianapolis swim team next fall, Nicholas had drastically improved his grades and swim times in the last year and a half, the university’s swim coach Jason Hite said.
“He was just a good, strong, solid kid and with a good personality,” Hite said. “I thought, this is the kind of person that I would like to have.”
Luke Hoyer, 15
A freshman and avid basketball player, Luke loved his family and loved sports. “He could be quiet, but he had a big heart,” said his cousin Grant Cox, 21. “It was just fun to be around him.”
Luke was particularly good at shooting the ball, and he idolized LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Cox said.
Aaron Feis, 37
Feis, a football coach and security guard at the high school, jumped in front of students to shield them from bullets.
“He died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories,” said a Twitter message from the school’s football team.
Feis was married and had an 8-year-old daughter. He attended and played football at Douglas, where he also spent his entire coaching career.
Jaime Guttenberg, 14
A smiling girl with wavy brown hair and braces, Jaime was “the life of the party, she was the energy in the room,” her grief-stricken father, Fred Guttenberg, said at a vigil for victims. “She always made her presence felt.”
Jaime was passionate about dance and planned to grow up to become a mom and an occupational therapist, her aunt Abbie Guttenberg Youkilis wrote on Facebook.
Christopher Hixon, 49
The Douglas High athletic director and wrestling coach was the kind of person who “would give you the shirt off his back,” said Dan Jacob, athletic director at neighboring Coral Springs High School.
Hixon had previously led the athletics department at South Broward High School, where his wife, Debra, leads a magnet program.
Cara Loughran, 14
Cara was a “quiet, happy freshman” who studied Irish dance and loved the beach, her dance school wrote in a message on a GoFundMe page created for her family.
“You will be greatly missed, and we will always love you and celebrate your beautiful life,” neighbor Loretta Brockmeier wrote on Facebook.
Gina Montalto, 14
Gina had been a member of the color guard for several years and was part of the team that won the state championship this year.
“She was quiet during practice, but the second we stopped, she was bubbly,” coach Jorge Portal said.
Joaquin Oliver, 17
Joaquin, known as “Guac” to his friends, immigrated to the U.S. with his family from Venezuela when he was a toddler. Zac Williams, 18, a friend, said Joaquin loved singer Frank Ocean and had been visiting colleges in central Florida.
Joaquin’s last Instagram post, dedicated to his girlfriend, said: “Thank you lord for putting a greater blessing than I could ever imagine into my life the past year. I love you with all my heart.”
Alaina Petty, 14
Alaina was a “vibrant and determined young woman, loved by all who knew her,” her family said in a statement. She was also dedicated to community service, volunteering in the cleanup after Hurricane Irma ravaged parts of Florida last year.
“Her selfless service brought peace and joy to those that had lost everything during the storm,” her family said.
Meadow Pollack, 18
Meadow loved animals and was looking forward to attending Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. On her 16th birthday Meadow posted photos of a white Kia with a big red ribbon on the windshield on Facebook, calling it the “best present ever.”
“This is just unimaginable to think I will never see my princess again,” her father, Andrew Pollack, said at her funeral.
Helena Ramsay, 17
Helena was a happy-golucky teenager who had a love of K-pop music and wasn’t bothered by what other people thought, her friend Isabela Barry said. “She was the friend that you just need in your life,” Isabela said.
Isabela said she heard from friends that Helena had shielded another student from bullets. “She was just such a good person,” Isabela said. “I wasn’t surprised that she would protect her friend.”
Alexander Schachter, 14
Alexander was a “talented musician” who played trombone and baritone horn in the marching band and also loved playing basketball, said Franci Gargaro, president of the Marching Eagle Parent Assn.
Gargaro described Alexander as one of “the sweetest, most giving kids — full of energy.”
Carmen Schentrup, 16
Carmen was one of the high school’s 10 semifinalists for the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.
A cousin, Matt Brandow, posted on Facebook: “I’m in a daze right now. I feel a million emotions. Smh. Please pray for her and our family.”
Peter Wang, 15
A freshman and member of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, Peter was “a happy and caring person” who had dreams of becoming a chef, family friend Chino Leong wrote on a GoFundMe page he created in Peter’s memory.
Peter was last seen Wednesday wearing his gray JROTC shirt, according to his cousin Lin Chen, 24. Chen said a friend of Peter’s told her he had held the door open for other students to escape when the shooting happened. “He is so brave,” she said.
nina.agrawal@latimes.com michael.finnegan@latimes.com molly.hennessy-fiske @latimes.com Agrawal reported from New York, Finnegan from Los Angeles and Hennessy-Fiske from Parkland. Special correspondent Jenny Jarvie in Parkland, Times staff writer Kate Linthicum in Mexico City and the Sun-Sentinel contributed to this report.