Blood shortage following Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting

Michelle Marchante/News Director

There is a blood shortage of O-negative blood  following the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, on Valentine’s Day, which left 17 people dead and multiple injured.

It was almost time for dismissal when students and staff heard what sounded like gunfire. Then, the school went on lockdown.

OneBlood, a Florida-based blood center, responded immediately to the shooting and sent blood to hospitals in the area. Immediate blood needs were met, according to their Twitter post, but donations of O-negative blood are needed.

O-negative blood is considered the “universal donor” because of its compatibility with any blood type and is commonly used for trauma situations but any donation is welcomed. Those interested in donating can visit their local donor center or a Big Red Bus blood drive.

The suspect, 19-year old Nikolas Cruz, was captured by police in a nearby neighborhood around 4 p.m., according to a Broward County tweet.

“Our FIU family is shocked and saddened by the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School this afternoon,” read an email sent by President Mark B. Rosenberg to the university community around 7 p.m, hours after the shooting. “Senseless violence has struck again– this time in our community. I have reached out to Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie to offer our condolences and let him know we stand ready to help.”

69 current University students graduated from the high school, the email states, with 210 University alumni also from the high school. 45 students from Stoneman Douglas High had also been admitted to FIU for the 2018-2019 school year. The names of the deceased were released by police later that day but it’s unclear if any were incoming FIU freshmens.

Cruz was a former student of Stoneman Douglas but was expelled last year for “disciplinary reasons,” said Scott Israel, BSO sheriff, during a news briefing. His social media also had disturbing content, according to Israel.

Live television footage showed students running away from the school as the SWAT team entered the building. The scene, at the time, was still active. Other footage showed students walking out with their hands in the air.

Cruz allegedly pulled the fire alarm to get students to leave the classroom and began shooting with an AR-15, a semi-automatic rifle, according to CBS News. The school had conducted a fire drill earlier in the day. Cruz, police later learned, had concealed himself in the crowd and was among those running out of the school, according to a BSO news release.

The high school was closed on Thursday, Feb. 15, and Friday, Feb. 16. There is no word on when the school will reopen, as of the time of this article’s publication.

“Our District is dealing with an unimaginable tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.  There are no words to express the sorrow that we are all feeling. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, as well as the entire Marjory Stoneman Douglas community,” reads a statement by Broward-County Schools Superintendent Robert W. Runcie, found on the Stoneman Douglas website.

As our District continues to work with law enforcement – we are focusing on providing our students, families and employees with the support and resources needed to cope with this devastating situation.  We have grief counselors and crisis teams ready to assist, and we will be providing details to all of our families and staff as we move forward.  Dealing with this tragedy is going to take time – and we will be here for every student, every family and every staff member.”

Any FIU students who feel affected by the incident should contact the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services and employees, Rosenberg’s email reads, may contact the Office of Employee Assistance.

Broward Schools will also be providing grief counseling.

Police are asking that anyone with information should call the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or to visit tips.fbi.gov.

FIU Student Media will update this article as more information becomes available.

Featured Image courtesy of Creative Commons