Second Parkland shooting survivor dead within span of a week

A teenager who survived a horrific shooting has killed himself a year after the massacre. He’s the second student to do so in days.

Another survivor of the Parkland mass school shooting has apparently taken their own life — the second such tragic death in the span of a week, a according to a report in the US.

The student, identified only as a male sophomore still attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, died in “an apparent suicide” on Saturday night, reported The Miami Herald, citing local police and sources.

The death bookends a wrenching week for the school and community that began when college freshman and fellow massacre survivor Sydney Aiello took her own life on March 17.

A gunman opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day in 2018, killing 17 people. Picture: AP

Aiello, 19, escaped the onslaught when Nikolas Cruz opened fire in the school on Valentine’s Day 2018, but couldn’t outrun survivor’s guilt and the emotional trauma left by the slaughter, her grieving mom said.

The shooting left three faculty members and 14 students dead, including Aiello’s longtime friend, Meadow Pollack.

Cruz has pleaded not guilty as he awaits a trial tentatively scheduled to begin in 2020.

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Sydney Aiello took her own life a week ago. Picture: Facebook

Meadow Pollack died in the shootings and was a friend of Sydney Aiello. Picture: Supplied

Sydney Aiello, 19, took her own life last Sunday after being overcome with grief following the Parkland massacre, which left 17 people dead, including her close friend Meadow Pollack.

According to The Sun, Aiello’s mum, Cara, told CBS Miami her daughter struggled with survivor’s guilt and had been recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, The Sun reports.

Aiello also found it hard to attend college classes because she was afraid of being in a classroom.

Sydney Aiello struggled to cope after the 2018 shootings. Picture: Facebook

She was on the high school campus when the gunman opened fire on Valentine’s Day, 2018 but not in the actual building where it happened.

Pollack’s father, Andrew told the Miami Herald: “Killing yourself is not the answer.”

He retweeted someone’s photo of Aiello and his daughter posing together in fancy gowns with the heartbreaking caption: “A little more than a year after this photo was taken, both are gone.”

Nikolas Cruz has pleaded not guilty. Picture: AP

Meadow Pollack had been set to go to Lynn University in Boca Raton.

In a GoFundMe page, set up to cover the funeral expenses, Aiello was described as a “beloved daughter, sister and friend to many.

“She lit up every room she entered. She filled her days cheerleading, doing yoga, and brightening up the days of others. Sydney aspired to work in the medical field helping others in need.”

People are brought out of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a shooting at the school. Picture: Getty Images

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— with the New York Post