NEWTOWN, Conn. – One student was killed on Thursday after an altercation took place in the parking lot of Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington. A 17-year-old student was fatally shot after trying to break up a confrontation between the suspected shooter and another individual. According to local law enforcement, the suspect initially walked away, but then approached the 17-year-old and shot him multiple times. After undergoing surgery, the victim died at the hospital.
In response, Nicole Hockley, co-founder and co-CEO of Sandy Hook Promise and mother of Dylan, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, issued the following statement:
“A young person’s life was taken by gun violence after trying to intervene and stop a confrontation outside of their school. Their actions displayed true courage. Our hearts are with the student’s family, whose lives have been forever changed by this senseless act. No family should ever have to endure the death a loved one to gun violence, especially one so brave and compassionate.”
“A tragic incident such as this is why education about peaceful conflict resolution, combined with training to spot the warning signs of potential violence and how to seek help, must become cornerstones of school violence prevention.”
At its core, this is what Sandy Hook Promise’s Say Something program teaches. This initiative, along with other components of Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs programming, is proven to prevent school shootings, as well as other types of youth violence and suicide, while helping to foster a more supportive school culture.
For more information on the Say Something program, visit sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/say-something/.
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Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) envisions a future where all children are free from school shootings and other acts of violence. As a national nonprofit organization, SHP’s mission is to educate and empower youth and adults to prevent violence in schools, homes, and communities. Creators of the life-saving, evidence-informed “Know the Signs” prevention programs, SHP teaches the warning signs of someone who may be in crisis, socially isolated, or at-risk of hurting themselves or others and how to get help. SHP also advances school safety, youth mental health, and responsible gun ownership at the state and federal levels through nonpartisan policy and partnerships. SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.
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