On Wednesday, a lone gunman walked into a Florida high school, pulled the fire alarm, and randomly began shooting until he had murdered 17 people and injured at least a dozen more. It would mark the 18th school shooting in 2018 and become one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
While the details of the tragic day unfold many are left asking how did we as a nation let this happen and what are we going to do about gun violence in America's schools.
One of the most powerful voices to come out during the aftermath of Florida's school shooting is Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa was among the 17 victims killed in the attack.
"How do we allow a gunman to come into our children's school? How do they get through security? What security is there?" Alhadeff screamed as her voice crackled during an interview with CNN. "The gunman—a crazy person—just walks right into the school, knocks down the window of my child's door, and starts shooting. Shooting her. And killing her."
Alhadeff, while fighting back tears, continued by directly addressing President Donald Trump and the government's need to take action.
"President Trump, you say 'what can you do?' You can stop the guns from getting into these children's hands," she said. "You can put metal detectors at the entrance of every school. What can you do? You can do a lot. This is not fair to our family, that our children go to school and have to get killed."
Alhadeff then took a breath and a paused before adding, "I just spent the last two hours putting [together] the burial arrangements for my daughter's funeral, who's 14." She then pleaded, "President Trump, please do something. Do something. Action. We need it now. These kids need safety now."
Following her comments, CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin and US Rep. Ted Deutch were left in tears. Baldwin asked Deutch pointedly, "What do you say?" Deutch replied, "What that grieving mother said is the most powerful message that everyone needs to hear," he said. "We need action. We have to do something."
In a Facebook post, Alhadeff shared more about her daughter, and how she should be remembered.
“Alyssa was a talented soccer player, so smart, an amazing personality, incredible creative writer, and all she had to offer the world was love. She believed in people for being so honest," she wrote. "A knife is stabbed in my heart. I wish I could [have] taken those bullets for you. I will always love you and your memory will live on forever."
Alhadeff added a message to other parents writing, “Please kiss your children, tell them you love them, stand by them no matter what they want to be."