PARKLAND, FLA. (WHDH) – A student who returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Sunday for an orientation discovered that she was almost hit in the shooting that killed 17 of her classmates and teachers.
“(The bullet) could have gone through my backpack, but I’m pretty sure it just grazed it or slightly passed it. The fact that my backpack was so close to me is really mind blowing,” said student Brooke Harrison.
According to WPTV, Harrison retrieved her bag from the same classroom where three students were killed: Alyssa Alhadeff, Alex Schachter and Alaina Petty.
“We know how lucky we are,” said Harrison’s mother, Denise. “From the stories we already heard in the classroom, we go pick up the backpack, we saw this. Everyday, we’re saying to ourselves, we’re so lucky.”
Before she went back to class on Wednesday, Harrison voiced her thoughts on returning to campus.
“It’s going to be sad because I’m going to remember the fact that three of my classmates won’t be able to go back to school and that three of them won’t be able to see their friends and see that everyone is OK,” she said.
Harrison’s parents said while they weren’t worried about their daughter’s return to school, there is still a feeling of uncertainty.
“One of the greater concerns that we have is, what happens next?” said Harrison’s father, Robert Harrison. “When the news cycle ended and six months have gone by, what actions will have been taken to ensure this doesn’t ever happen again — at this school or any other?”
Harrison’s parents said they are no strangers to tragic events; they lived just two blocks away from the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attack.
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