Former Manual student Romulo Reis (Class of 2019) was in the Broward County Public School District when the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School occurred earlier this afternoon.

At least 17 people were killed and 14 were injured in the shooting that occurred for over an hour both inside and outside the school after the fire alarm sounded at 2:30 p. m.

Reis attended Manual for a year before moving to Florida prior to sophomore year. Currently, he is a junior at Cypress Bay High School, a school about thirty minutes away from Douglas.

“During the shooting I was at school in my chemistry class with only 15 minutes until the bell rang,” Reis said.

Reis, along with his family, fellow students and those in the Douglas High School community, was struck with fear and strong emotions as the incidents unfolded today.

“I feel sad for the families of the kids that suffered, but I also fear for my safety,” Reis said. “My school has over 5,000 students and I don’t know if the security would be able to keep track of a shooter in such a big school. As for the students at my school I’m not sure how they feel, I haven’t had the chance to talk to them yet, but I’m sure they are having the same thoughts.”

Students all over the district feared for their safety at school and their parents’ eyes opened to the thought of losing a child.

“My parents are definitely scared, and have no idea how to react,” Reis said

Romulo’s mother, Glauci Reis, fears for her son’s safety but extended her thanks to those who made the situation easier to process.  

“It’s way too sad, we just got a message from Romulo’s school reassuring his school’s safety and informing us that grieving counseling available at the school,” she said, “in the end they just asked us to take a moment and simply hug our kids tonight.”

The shooting today at Douglas High School is the eighteenth school shooting this year.

“I think that schools in my area might tighten security around the entrances and such, but I don’t feel that enough will be done to keep this from happening in the future,” Reis said. “I feel that this is mostly the government’s fault,” Reis said. “I feel that it is much too easy for a person to get their hands on a gun, and it is ridiculous that machine guns are being sold in our country.”

The suspect was identified as former Douglas student Nikolas Cruz. Officers believe that Cruz had an AR-15-style semi automatic rifle.