A young student who survived a previous school shooting shared her terrifying experience after witnessing another deadly attack at Brown University. The tragic incident at the Ivy League institution resulted in two fatalities and nine injuries following a shooter’s rampage during pre-Christmas exams on Saturday afternoon.
Zoe Weissman, a 20-year-old survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting in Florida, expressed her deep anger and disbelief at being involved in yet another campus shooting. Recalling the tragic events at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 17 individuals, Zoe emphasized the emotional turmoil of enduring multiple instances of gun violence.
Reflecting on the recent shooting at Brown University, Zoe lamented, “I’m really angry. I’m really angry that this is happening to me all over again. And I’m just in shock.” She described feeling mentally transported back to her teenage years, paralleling the emotions she felt during the Parkland shooting.
Despite the university being out of session, students were present for exams when the shooting occurred. Zoe recounted receiving a chilling call from a friend urging her to seek shelter as news of the shooting spread. Throughout the ordeal, she remained in a classroom, updating her family on the unfolding situation.
Drawing attention to the prevalence of multiple school shooting survivors, Zoe highlighted the alarming trend of individuals experiencing repetitive traumas. In a call for action, she criticized the US government’s inaction on addressing gun violence issues, emphasizing the need for comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation.
Following the shooting, a shelter-in-place order was implemented but later lifted as police continued their investigations. The university issued alerts cautioning about ongoing police activity in the crime scene areas, advising limited access to certain campus locations.
The university’s president confirmed that the victims of the tragic attack were all students at Brown University, underscoring the devastating impact on the close-knit academic community.