Miami: A teenager who survived the Parkland school shooting in Florida has committed suicide herself while struggling with survivors’ guilt, local media reported Friday. She died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Sydney Aiello, 19, was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas when February 14 last year, a former student Nikolas Cruz opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 14 students and three staff members. Among the dead were two of Aiello’s best friends, Meadow Pollack and Joaquin Oliver. It seemed that by default Aiello became the 18th victim claimed by the gunman.
Aiello’s parents told local news ‘CBS4’ that she had been undergoing treatment for ‘PTSD’, and suffered from survivor’s guilt, when a victim fixates on why they were the one to live, not someone else. Her mother, Cara, told ‘CBS Miami’ that Aiello had had a difficult time with her college classes ‘because classrooms now scared her’.
Aiello graduated from high school in July. She was a yoga enthusiast, and took part in the national student movement seeking legal changes on gun control policy.
Stoneman Douglas students became crusaders against gun violence under the banner ‘March for Our Lives’, lobbying for tougher gun control laws and organizing protests and rallies.
Meadow’s father, Andrew Pollack, told the ‘Miami Herald that his ‘heart goes out to those poor, poor parents’.
“It’s terrible what happened. Meadow and Sydney were friends for a long, long time,” Pollack said. “They really cared about each other and Sydney frequently dropped by to spend time with us. Meadow and Sydney were friends for a long, long time. Killing yourself is not the answer,” he added.
AFP
