At least 17 people lost their lives when a former student unleashed a rain of bullets in a Florida school on Wednesday.
The gunman, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was expelled from the school for unspecified reasons. The motive for the crime is yet unknown, but many say he has been exhibiting a tendency for violence for a while now. Cruz often spoke about violence and guns, reports said.
The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School began by 2.30 pm. Cruz is believed to have pulled the fire alarm to draw students out of classrooms before he went on a shooting rampage. But many teachers warned their wards to stay in class because the school had a fire drill earlier in the day.
Some students, fearing they wouldn't be able to meet their parents, texted goodbyes as soon as the rampage started. Some even shared footages of the carnage on social media platforms.
The shooting has restarted the debate on the need for stringent gun laws, especially for people with mental issues.
Shortly after the news of the high school shooting surfaced, politician Gabrielle Giffords tweeted: "Defenders of the status quo - advocates of the gun industry & the politicians paid to defend it - will tell you that events like these are virtual acts of nature, products of mental illness or bad parenting, beyond our ability to control. This couldn't be further from the truth.
"Every day we fail to take action, we chose this fate. We tolerate politicians who fail to acknowledge this crisis and vote against our safety. We let our gun violence epidemic continue day after deadly day."
Senator Cortez Mastro tweeted: "Our schools should be a place where students and teachers feel safe. How many more senseless tragedies does this country have to endure until Congress acts?"
Democrat Eliot Engel echoed similar sentiments, pointing out that at least 18 other school shootings have already happened this year. "My heart breaks for those children and their parents. How many more victims until we decide gun violence is a national problem?"
However, Florida senator Marco Rubio feels it's too early to say stringent gun laws could have prevented the shooting.
Prime minister Narendra Modi takes part in a yoga session during International Day of Yoga celebrations, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. (PMO via PTI Photo)
FILE PHOTO: Kim Leadbeater reacts during an interview about the Assisted Dying Bill in Westminster, London, Britain, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy