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These Are the Victims of the Florida High School Shooting

9 minute read
Updated: | Originally published: ;

Among those who were killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were a beloved football coach who shielded students from gunfire, an aspiring Olympic swimmer, students who had just made college decisions, and a geography teacher praised for saving lives.

Fourteen students, two coaches and one teacher were killed in the shooting Wednesday, and other victims are still being treated at nearby hospitals. Suspected gunman Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student at the school, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

These are the victims of the attack:

Nicholas Dworet, 17

Dworet, a high school senior, was a competitive swimmer aspiring to compete in the 2020 Olympics.

“That was what he was working for, and he would’ve made it,” Nicole Nilsson, a family friend, told TIME. “He had very big aspirations.”

Dworet had made the Tokyo 2020 logo his screensaver and had recently signed a letter of intent to join the University of Indianapolis swim team as a freshman in the fall.

“Nick’s death is a reminder that we are connected to the larger world, and when tragedy hits in places around the world, it oftentimes affects us at home,” university president Robert Manuel said in a statement. “Today, and in the coming days, I hope you will hold Nick, his family, all of the victims, as well as the Parkland community and first responders in your prayers.”

Dworet would have turned 18 next month.

Aaron Feis, 37

Feis, an assistant football coach and security guard at the school, died after shielding students from gunfire during the shooting on Wednesday. “He selflessly shielded students from the shooter when he was shot. He died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories,” the school’s football program said in a tweet.

A graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Feis had played football at the school and returned as a coach in 2002.

Broward Sheriff Scott Israel — who coached with Feis and watched his sons play for him — described Feis as a “phenomenal” man who was “adored” by students.

“The kids in this community loved him. They adored him. He was one of the greatest people I knew. He was a phenomenal man,” Israel said at a press conference on Thursday. “When Aaron Feis died, when he was killed — tragically, inhumanely — he did it protecting others. You can guarantee that because that’s who Aaron Feis was.”

Jaime Guttenberg, 14

The father of Jaime Guttenberg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, shared news of her death in an emotional Facebook post on Thursday. “My heart is broken,” Fred Guttenberg wrote. “Yesterday, Jennifer Bloom Guttenberg and I lost our baby girl to a violent shooting at her school.”

“I am broken as I write this trying to figure out how my family get’s through this,” he said, thanking friends and family members for their support. “Hugs to all and hold your children tight.”

Alyssa Alhadeff, 14

Alyssa, a soccer player, was one of the students killed in the shooting, the Parkland Soccer Club said in Facebook post on Thursday.

“Honor Alyssa by doing something fabulous in your life. Don’t ever give up and inspire for greatness,” her family said in a note to her friends shared by the soccer club. “Live for Alyssa! Be her voice and breathe for her.”

In an emotional interview on CNN, Alhadeff’s mother, Lori, implored President Trump to do something to stop gun violence.

“This is not fair to our family — that our children go to school and have to get killed,” she said. “President Trump, please do something. Do something. Action — we need it now. These kids need safety now.”

Scott Beigel, 35

Beigel, a geography teacher at the high school, was remembered Thursday by students who said he died saving their lives.

“I will never forget the actions that he took for me and for fellow students in the classroom,” student Kelsey Friend told CNN. “I am alive today because of him.”

Friend told Good Morning America that Beigel had unlocked a classroom for her and other students to hide inside, but he was shot in the doorway.

Meadow Pollack, 18

Pollack, a senior at the high school, had planned on attending Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida next year.

“She was just unbelievable,” her father, Andrew Pollack, told the New York Times. “She was a very strong-willed young girl who had everything going for her.”

Christopher Hixon, 49

Hixon, the athletic director at the school, was also among those killed in the shooting.

“Chris is probably the nicest guy I have ever met. He would give you the shirt off his back. He does so much. That is terrible that it would happen to anybody. It is so senseless,” Dan Jacob, the athletic director at nearby Coral Springs High School, told the Sun-Sentinel.

Luke Hoyer, 15

Hoyer was a freshman at the school. In an interview with People, his aunt Joan Cox described him as a “happy-go-lucky kid” who loved basketball, and a “momma’s boy” who rarely got into trouble.

“He didn’t know what he wanted to do yet,” Cox said. “He was just a freshman and was looking forward to high school.”

Carmen Schentrup, 16

Schentrup had recently gone on a college visit to the University of Washington, her cousin Matt Brandow said in a Facebook post, calling her the “most intelligible 16 year old I’ve ever met.”

“I love you with all my heart and I’m going to miss you every single living day. I would switch places with you in a second,” he wrote.

Gina Montalto, 14

Montalto was part of her high school’s state-champion marching band, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

“Our beautiful daughter, Gina Rose, was taken from us during the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” her mother, Jennifer Montalto, wrote in Facebook post shared by local station CBS 12. “She was a smart, loving, caring, and strong girl who brightened any room she entered.”

Alex Schachter, 14

Schachter played the trombone in his school’s marching band and “just wanted to do well and make his parents happy,” his father, Max Schachter, told the New York Times.

Peter Wang, 15

Wang was in the school’s Junior Reserve Office Training Program, according to the Miami Herald, and was last seen in his gray uniform on Wednesday. His cousin, Aaron Chen, told the Herald that Wang held the door open so others could escape during the shooting.

“He was always so nice and so generous,” Chen told the New York Times. Chen said his cousin helped him settle in when he moved to Florida and made sure he was not bullied.

Wang’s best friend, Gabriel Ammirata, also described him as “funny, nice and a great friend,” according to the Herald. Ammirata had planned to go to the Chinese restaurant Wang’s family owns to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Thursday, he told the paper.

Alaina Petty, 14

Petty was also a member of the school’s JROTC program and participated in the “Helping Hands” program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, helping to clean up Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma hit Florida in September, according to the Miami Herald.

“Alaina loved to serve,” a statement from her family said, according to CNN. “While we will not have the opportunity to watch her grow up and become the amazing woman we know she would become, we are keeping an eternal perspective.”

Martin Duque Anguiano, 14

Duque Anguiano was a freshman at the school, according to the Miami Herald. His older brother, Miguel, posted about his death on Instagram early Thursday. “Words can not describe my pain,” he wrote in the post. “I love brother Martin you’ll be missed buddy. I know you’re in a better place. Duques forever man I love you junior!!!”

Helena Ramsey, 17

Ramsey would have gone to college next year, a family member said in a long Facebook post. The relative remembered her as a “smart, kind hearted and thoughtful person.”

“Though she was some what reserved, she had a relentless motivation towards her academic studies, and her soft warm demeanor brought the best out in all who knew her. She was so brilliant and witty, and I’m still wrestling with the idea that she is actually gone,” the post said.

Joaquin Oliver, 17

Oliver, who was born in Venezuela, moved to the United States with his family when he was 3 years old, according to the Miami Herald. He became a U.S. citizen last January, the paper reported.

Cara Loughran, 14

Loughran loved her cousins and spending time at the beach, her family said, according to the New York Times.

Her aunt, Lindsay Fontana, posted about Loughran’s death on Facebook and urged readers to take action to prevent future shootings.

“We are absolutely gutted. Cara was 14 years old. She was an excellent student, she loved the beach and she loved our girls,” she wrote in the post. “While your thoughts are appreciated, I beg you to DO SOMETHING. This should not have happened to our niece Cara and it can not happen to other people’s families.”

This story will be updated.

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Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com and Abigail Abrams at abigail.abrams@time.com