This Is What It Sounds Like To Be Hiding In A Pitch-Black Classroom During A School Shooting
"Attention please. Lockdown. Block lights. Out of sight:" The automated announcement was the only sound repeatedly punctuating the silence in the pitch-black classroom where Lillian Duarte and her classmates spent 20 terrifying minutes on Tuesday afternoon.
Only this time, it wasn't a drill. Two students opened fire on their classmates on Tuesday, killing one and injuring eight others before they were taken into custody.Duarte provided BuzzFeed News with minutes-long cellphone videos she took while hiding in her classroom and a series of frantic, frightened text messages she exchanged with her family and friends during the shooting.
When Duarte, her math teacher, and around 35 of her classmates first heard the lockdown announcement over the school speakers, they were confused about whether it was a drill or an actual shooting, Duarte told BuzzFeed News on Wednesday. She then showed the texts from her friend to her teacher. They then turned off all the lights, took down the Christmas lights that were hanging in the classroom, and moved to the other end of the class, farther away from the door.That's when Duarte began messaging her parents and friends to tell them that she loved them.She also texted her 18-year-old sister, Vivian, to tell her she loved her.Duarte then recorded several minutes of the lockdown as she was crouched under her desk.
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