Sun Sentinel Broward Edition

Rememberin­g Alyssa

- By Rafael Olmeda Staff writer By Wells Dusenbury Staff writer

Prosecutor­s are joining the Broward School Board in moving to block the public release of footage captured by security cameras outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during Nikolas Cruz’s deadly Valentine’s Day rampage.

Broward Circuit Judge Jeffrey R. Levenson authorized the public release of additional video on April 18, giving the school district two weeks to review the footage and determine whether to appeal his ruling.

The school board did not object to the release in March of footage that focused on now-retired Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, the school resource officer who stayed outside the building while the shooting was going on.

Media organizati­ons including the South Florida Sun Sentinel have been seeking the release, arguing that the video may shed more light on the law enforcemen­t response to the Feb. 14 mass shooting.

The media did not seek video showing the shooter, the victims or the inside of the school.

But attorneys for the Broward School Board argued in court that the video will expose the limits of the cameras on campus and weaken school security. And the Broward State Attorney’s Office said that the video records are the subject of an ongoing criminal investigat­ion, which makes them exempt from public release.

Levenson reviewed hours of video and determined that it is not part of an active criminal investigat­ion, and the “potential harm” to the school’s security system is “outweighed by the strong public interest in disclosure.”

The Broward Sheriff’s Office will only release the video by court order, although the agency’s attorney has said that the sheriff wants the video released for the sake of transparen­cy.

The sheriff ’s office is investigat­ing allegation­s by other agencies that several BSO deputies, not just Peterson, failed to enter the school to help wounded students or engage Cruz when they arrived on the scene.

rolmeda@sunsentine­l.com, 954-356-4457, Twitter @SSCourts and @rolmeda

A vivacious girl who loved going to the beach, Alyssa Alhadeff would have been 15 on Tuesday.

To honor her birthday, more than 100 friends and family members gathered to celebrate Alyssa, who was killed in the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The day began in North Lauderdale on a somber note as her family unveiled Alyssa’s headstone at Star of David Memorial Gardens. The group later congregate­d at Alyssa’s favorite place — the Deerfield Beach pier — for a beach party to celebrate and have fun as they remembered their fallen friend and family member.

Alyssa developed her love for the beach during the summer, when her family would travel to Long Beach Island, N.J. That love translated to Florida, and Alyssa would come to the beach whenever she could.

“This was Alyssa’s second home,” her mother, Lori Alhadeff, said. “She loved coming to Deerfield Beach. She would come here all the time with her friends and just walk around and play in the water. I wanted to have a celebratio­n of Alyssa’s life with her friends.”

“She would’ve wanted her friends having fun. She wanted them celebratin­g her birthday today. Alyssa wouldn’t want people crying and being upset about her. She’d want them laughing in the water like they are now.”

Just past a red tent with colorful balloons and an enlarged picture of Alyssa in soccer uniform, beachgoers flew white kites with personaliz­ed messages for her on a sunny, windy afternoon. Everyone had their memories of Alyssa, who was taken far too soon.

“[Alyssa] would always make us laugh,” said Laurie Thomas, who coached Alyssa in soccer the past three years. “Everything was funny to her. She brought our team together and she always brought humor if her teammates were down and she could have a really good conversati­on and offer people advice.”

“[It’s about] rememberin­g her and keeping her spirit alive because she means so much to us. She really is our angel. She’s been a huge inspiratio­n for me, her teammates, the community and nationwide.”

At Star of David, Alyssa’s parents gave emotional speeches about their daughter as the group of mourners, clad in white shirts and blue jeans, reflected on her life. Alyssa’s younger brothers then unveiled her headstone, with the words “Forever in our hearts” inscribed across the top.

One-by-one, her family members, including her grandparen­ts, seated next to the headstone, laid stones on top. Surroundin­g the headstone were dozens of roses, a blue Long Beach Island pillow, a US Soccer jersey with “Alhadeff ” sewn on the back and a portrait of Alyssa.

As Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” echoed around the memorial, Lori Alhadeff opened a small box, unfurling brown and yellow butterflie­s. With one remaining in the box, Lori dropped to one knee, carefully picking up the lone butterfly as it soon took flight from her fingertips and circled around the tombstone with the rest of the group.

“The day after Alyssa died, my husband and I went to see Alyssa, ” Lori Alhadeff said. “At her grave, a big yellow butterfly flew by, and it gave us a symbol of hope that Alyssa was OK, and we had butterflie­s fly out of a box today, symbolizin­g that hope and strength that Alyssa is OK and she’s living, but in a different way.”

For Alyssa’s Abigail Price, best friend, May 1 is a bitterswee­t day. In addition to their tight-knit friendship, the two share the same birthday. Price, a Stoneman Douglas freshman, also turned 15 on Tuesday. The two would frequent the beach and celebrate every birthday the same way: getting their nails done, hanging out and having a party.

Although Alyssa wasn’t there, commemorat­ing her life in her favorite place was a fitting tribute.

“[Having the party on the beach] brings back a lot of happy memories,” Price said. “It’s nice to celebrate it.”

wdusenbury@sun-sentinel .com or Twitter @dusereport

 ?? AMY BETH BENNETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPH­ER ?? Family and friends of Parkland shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff attend an unveiling of her headstone at Star of David Memorial Gardens Cemetery in North Lauderdale on Tuesday, on what would have been her 15th birthday.
AMY BETH BENNETT/STAFF PHOTOGRAPH­ER Family and friends of Parkland shooting victim Alyssa Alhadeff attend an unveiling of her headstone at Star of David Memorial Gardens Cemetery in North Lauderdale on Tuesday, on what would have been her 15th birthday.

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