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Florida flags to fly at half-staff to honor Parkland school shooting victims

PARKLAND, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff Sunday in memory of the 17 people killed in the Parkland school shooting three years ago.

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DeSantis also ordered a moment of silence at 3 p.m., the Sun-Sentinel reported. The flags will remain at half-staff from sunrise to sunset.

Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old gunman and former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, opened fire on the Parkland campus, killing 17 students and faculty members and leaving 17 others injured.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Remembrance Day proclamation issued Friday names the people killed: “Whereas, our state and nation continue to mourn and will always remember the lives of Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Beigel, Martin Duque Anguiano, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup and Peter Wang.”

In a statement that accompanied the proclamation, DeSantis said that “Students, teachers, and faculty showed great courage in the face of danger. The sacrifices of these heroes, as well as the brave actions of first responders, will never be forgotten.”

On Friday, state Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, filed a resolution to create a “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Memorial Day,” to be observed yearly starting on Feb. 14, 2022, the Sun-Sentinel reported.