A second survivor of the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, has taken his own life, the Miami Herald reported on Sunday.
A Coral Springs police spokesman told the newspaper that the student, a juvenile, was a sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas and died on Saturday night. His name and age have not been released.
Ryan Petty, the father of 14-year-old freshman Alaina Petty, who was killed in the Parkland shooting, told the Herald that the student died Saturday of a gunshot wound.
Police continue to investigate.
The news comes just a week after Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate and shooting survivor Sydney Aiello, 19, took her own life last Sunday. Her mother, Cara Aiello, told CBS4 that Sydney had struggled with survivor’s guilt after the mass shooting, which killed 17, and recently had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. She was a student at Florida Atlantic University.
Sydney Aiello also died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Following the latest death, Petty emphasized that the effects of tragedies like Parkland continue long after the news fades from the headlines.
He told the Herald: “When you look at Columbine as an example, almost just as many students killed themselves after the fact than in the actual shooting. That needs to change. We need to get them the help they need.”
Petty posted the contacts of several grief counseling resources on his Twitter account.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.