May 18, 2018

“I’ve Always Kind of Felt Like Eventually It Was Going to Happen Here Too”

A Santa Fe student gives a devastating interview about the predictability of school shootings.

Shortly after at least eight people were killed inside Santa Fe High School in Texas Friday, a 17-year-old student who survived the shooting appeared on ABC’s Houston affiliate station to share details of the harrowing experience.

Her head down for most of the interview, Paige Curry told the interviewer that she was three classrooms away from where the gunman opened fire, before she and her classmates moved to hide behind a stage area where authorities later rescued them.

“I was very, very scared,” Curry said. “I had to have someone keep me calm. I managed to keep calm through it all. There was another girl who was just freaking out. They were struggling really hard to keep her calm.”

The interviewer then asked, “Was there a part of you that was like, ‘This isn’t real. This would not happen in my school’?” 

“No, there wasn’t,” Curry responded, shaking her head.  “It’s been happening everywhere. I felt—I’ve always kind of felt like eventually, it was going to happen here too.”

The clip was quickly shared on social media, where many expressed heartbreak over how pervasive, and predictable, school shootings in America have become.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayqm0rMbG1A

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With just 4 days left, we need a huge surge in reader support to get to our $400,000 year-end goal. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters. All gifts are 3X matched and tax-deductible.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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