AN Irish family have told of their horror after being caught up in Wednesday’s deadly mass shooting at a Florida high school, in which 17 people died.
Adelina Hurley, 16, had only begun attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland a few months ago after her family relocated from Clontarf, north Dublin last summer.
Mum Olga, originally from Russia, lived in Ireland for 18 years but moved over to the Sunshine State with her husband and two kids to be closer to her parents.
Olga told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: “It was a normal day. I’d been to visit my parents and on the way back I decided to stop by the school because my daughter was finishing at that time.
“Within a few seconds, police cars appeared from all directions. I knew something was happening. I phoned my daughter, and she didn’t answer. I text her to see if she’d get back and she eventually did.”
Adelina said it was just 10 minutes until the end of the school day when the fire alarm went off shortly before 2.30pm.
The shooter, 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz, had set it off in an apparent attempt to cause confusion as he began his massacre.
“Everyone just assumed it was a normal fire drill,” Adelina said. “But then the teacher started to look worried.”
"Sir, you are charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder."
Suspected Parkland, Florida high school shooter Nikolas Cruz is ordered held without bond pic.twitter.com/rZbVp5hYlD
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 15, 2018
The 16-year-old said it was only then that people in her class checked online that they discovered an active shooter was on campus.
She added that a heroic teacher guided the students out of the school and took a secret route to a local mall.
"It was really scary because you were running and everyone was running, screaming and some people were crying,” she recounted.
“People were like climbing the fence just to get out as fast as they could."
Olga explained that when she finally got through to her daughter on the phone, she told her that she was running because the shooter had not yet been caught.
“Once I heard her voice, I knew she would be okay,” Olga said. “The panic… I didn’t know what to think. I just kept telling her ‘keep running, keep running, and don’t be alone’.”
Forty minutes later, there were emotional scenes as Adelina was reunited with her mum at the mall.
“That feeling of horror only sinks into your head later. This could be us. All those people. I can’t describe how I felt,” Olga added.
“It was only maybe 30-40 minutes, but it felt three or four hours. I was scared. She was scared.
"I was so relieved to see my beautiful child in front of me. It's a gift. Honestly, it's a blessing."
The family has since confirmed that one of Adelina’s classmates was shot dead in the attack.
