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Tributes flow after second teen who survived Parkland school shooting dies

US media is reporting a second former student from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of a school shooting last year, has died by suicide.

People embrace at a memorial marking the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting at the school in Parkland, Florida.

People embrace at a memorial marking the one-year anniversary of a mass shooting at the school in Parkland, Florida. Source: AAP

A second student from the Florida high school where 17 were shot dead in 2018 has died by suicide within a week, US media reported Sunday.

The Miami Herald said police in Coral Springs told the paper that a current student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in nearby Parkland had died of "apparent suicide" late Saturday.

The student was not identified by the police but the Miami Herald said it was a male sophomore or second-year student.

Coral Springs police could not be immediately contacted to confirm the report.

Last weekend Sydney Aiello, 19, who survived the Parkland massacre and graduated last year, died by suicide reportedly out of grief and "survivor's guilt."

Two of Aiello's best friends, Meadow Pollack and Joaquin Oliver, were among the dead when former student Nikolas Cruz raked the school on February 14, 2018 with a semi-automatic weapon, killing 14 students and three staff members.

Sydney Aiello survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting. She later took her own life.
Sydney Aiello survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting. She later took her own life. Source: Supplied

Aiello's parents told local news channel CBS4 that she had been treated for PTSD and suffered from survivor's guilt, when a victim fixates on why he or she managed to live, not someone else.

Friends have raised more than $US70,000 ($98,770) to cover the costs of her funeral.

Fundraising organisers Brett and Blair Israel said it was a "privilege" to have had the teen in their lives.

"Sydney spent 19 years writing her story as a beloved daughter, sister and friend to many," the GoFundMe page reads.

After the shooting, Stoneman Douglas students became crusaders against gun violence under the banner "March for Our Lives," lobbying for tougher gun control laws and organizing protests and rallies.

People seeking support can contact: Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP, SBS



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