Search icon

News

16th Feb 2018

Irish teenager told to ‘keep running’ by her mother during Florida school shooting

Denise Curtin

On Wednesday, February 14, a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Miami, Florida killed 17 people.

In the worst school shooting in US History since Sandy Hook in 2012 which killed 27 children, people are mourning the loss of children and loved ones in Parkland Miami, Florida today.

Yesterday, the shooter noted as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder after he opened fire in the school on Wednesday killing 17 people and injuring 23 more.

One of the students attending the school was Dublin native, Adelina Hurley. Her mother Olga Hurley spoke on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One today recalling the moment she went to pick her daughter up from school and saw all the commotion.

Olga tried to communicate with her daughter to see what was going on when she heard there had been a shooting. Olga then received a text from her daughter saying “Mum I’m running”.

“There was panic, I didn’t know what to think. I just kept telling her ‘Keep running, keeping running and don’t be alone’,” she said.

Thankfully Adelina was one of the lucky ones and was reunited with her mother unharmed.

“I was relieved to see my beautiful child in front of me, it’s a gift, honestly it’s a blessing” she recalled.

Unfortunately one of Adelina’s classmates died in the horrific event on Wednesday.

Our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragedy.