Families Visit Untouched Parkland School Massacre Site, 5 Years On
PARKLAND, Fla. — In a dramatic shift, the bloodstained halls and classrooms of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 individuals tragically lost their lives in a school shooting, have been unlocked and made accessible to the victims’ families, marking the first time they have been granted entry since the incident occurred over five years ago. Emotional private tours have commenced for the relatives of the 14 students and three staff members who were killed that day, granting them the opportunity to pay their respects and find closure. Additionally, the wounded students and their loved ones will also have the chance to visit the 1200 building, which is no longer required as evidence in the trials of the convicted murderer and the recently acquitted deputy. The school district’s plans include demolishing the three-story structure and potentially creating a memorial in its place.
Under the guidance of prosecutors, four families ventured inside the building on Wednesday, with additional tours scheduled in the upcoming weeks. Moreover, as part of an ongoing civil lawsuit against the deputy involved, there is a possibility of a reenactment of the Valentine’s Day shooting. One grieving mother, Linda Beigel Schulman, whose son was a geography teacher named Scott Beigel, expressed her anguish and desire to see the location where her son tragically lost his life. Overwhelmed with emotion, she tearfully shared with reporters across from the school, “I tried to say goodbye, but I can’t say goodbye. It has been five years and 151 days, it’s been 1,961 days and I still can’t say goodbye.”
Since the Parkland shooting, the preserved building has served as a constant reminder of the tragic event for the school’s students, staff, and all passersby. The structure was maintained as evidence to allow the jury in last year’s penalty trial of Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator, to tour the premises. This visitation occurred in August after the prosecution presented its case. Cruz, a former student who was 24 years old at the time of the trial, ultimately received a life sentence when the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty. Only a select few media outlets, including the Associated Press, were granted access to the building last year following the conclusion of the jurors’ visit.
The interior of the building remains as it was in the aftermath of the tragedy, bearing bloodstains, shattered glass, and remnants of Valentine’s Day decorations such as deflated balloons, withered flowers, and abandoned gifts. Textbooks and laptops left behind on the students’ desks depict a poignant scene, while an unfinished chess game remains frozen in one classroom. Although the building holds painful memories, Tony Montalto, father of 14-year-old victim Gina, expressed that entering and walking its halls was one of the most challenging experiences he has ever faced, vividly recalling the moment he saw his daughter’s lifeless body.
Linda Beigel Schulman made it a point to collect several items from her son’s classroom during her visit, including his sunglasses, a student’s exceptional paper that he had shared during one of their final conversations, his computer, and his lesson plan. She also captured photographs of his classroom, cherishing the memories from Scott’s last day. As families begin to tour the building, they grapple with profound pain and loss, searching for closure in the wake of unimaginable tragedy.
In hopes of acquiring further evidence for their civil lawsuit, the families of the victims request a reenactment of the shooting, targeting the deputy and other parties involved. Attorney David Brill has proposed recording a simulation outside the 1200 building, featuring the sound of blanks being fired from an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, similar to the weapon used by Cruz. If approved by the judge, the recordings would be presented as evidence during the trial, which has yet to be scheduled. Brill emphasized the significance of this request, stating that it would serve to prevent Peterson from evading justice in the civil case, just as he did in the criminal trial.
Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh has praised Peterson, claiming that the echoes inside the building prevented him from locating the source of the gunfire. According to Eiglarsh, Peterson bravely positioned himself just 10 yards away from a hallway door, opting not to open it or peer through the window due to safety concerns. Seeking shelter next to an adjacent building, he proceeded to make radio calls for assistance. However, Montalto contends that had Peterson entered the building, he could have confronted Cruz or at least sufficiently distracted him, providing an opportunity for the victims to seek safety or escape. Eiglarsh alleges that the families have been misled by former Sheriff Scott Israel and other officials who made Peterson a scapegoat for their own failures in preventing the shooting.
As the tension builds surrounding the fate of the building, which the school district plans to demolish in the future, the families of five students, in particular, advocate for a reenactment to serve as crucial evidence in their civil lawsuit targeting Peterson, the sheriff’s office, and other implicated parties. In response to these developments, Peterson’s civil attorney, Michael Piper, refrained from issuing a direct comment, citing the importance of maintaining professionalism, respect for the community, and deference to the trial judge. Piper expressed his apprehension about engaging in extrajudicial commentary regarding attorney Brill’s motion to restage Cruz’s violent rampage.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office chose not to offer a comment on the matter, preserving their silence.
