PARKLAND, Fla. – The long-awaited demolition of the building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 individuals lost their lives in a 2018 mass shooting, commenced as a large excavator reached the top floor of the three-story structure. The project began today, with the excavator creating a loud sound as it punched out a window, symbolizing the start of the demolition.
In attendance were family members of the victims who stood about 100 yards away in the school’s parking lot, capturing the event on their cellphones. Among the onlookers was Dylan Persaud, a former student who witnessed the tragic events of that day in 2018. Persaud shared that he lost seven longtime friends and his geography teacher, Scott Beigel, in the shooting.
The demolition process, expected to be completed before the school’s 3,300 students return from summer vacation in August, invited victims’ families to witness the initial blows and even participate in removing a piece themselves. The building had been preserved as evidence during the shooter’s trial, where jurors toured its bullet-riddled halls before he received a life sentence without parole.
Similar actions of demolishing school buildings post-mass shootings have taken place in other states, such as Connecticut, Texas, and Colorado. Over the past year, some victims’ relatives led tours through the building to showcase the improvements in safety measures that could have potentially saved lives on that fateful day in 2018.
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, an alum of the school, expressed his haunting experiences from the tour, emphasizing the impact the shooting had on the community. The Broward County school board faces the decision of what will replace the demolished building, with suggestions ranging from a practice field for various school groups to a memorial honoring the lives lost.
Tony Montalto, who lost his daughter in the shooting, sees the demolition as a necessary step towards moving forward. Advocating for school safety programs and a memorial site, Montalto believes in honoring the victims’ legacy by pushing for meaningful legislation to ensure the safety of students in schools.