Teacher Tears Up Recalling Students Who Were Shot
Dara Hass, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School, took the stand. She started working at the school in 2016, but had been a teacher in the county school district before that.
Hass was teaching in her fourth period freshman English class in room 1216 when the shooting began.
She said the students were quietly working when they heard “pop, pop, pop” sounds, like gunshots. She assumed it was a drill and went to close the blinds.
Then, the gunshots were so loud, Hass said she was shaking. Students were screaming and coming to hide by her desk.
It was only when Hass turned around and saw her students were shot did she realize it was not a drill.
Hass began to cry on the stand as she recalled seeing Alex Schachter dead at his desk. She said everything happened so fast and she called 9-1-1 and her husband to tell him to also call the police.
“The sounds were so loud and [there] were just a lot of them,” she said.
As she spoke, some jurors took notes, other listened intently, according to a reporter in the courtroom. Parents had their heads down.
Hass remained quiet as debris flew across the room amid the second round of shooting into the classroom.
“It was hazy,” she said. “You could smell the sulfur from the gun debris. Debris was flying around. Students were crying. So many students were injured.”
After several minutes, Hass saw the arm of a police officer punch through the door window and the officer told everyone to evacuate.
Hass said it was hard to leave the room because she wanted to stay with the students who were shot who couldn’t get out.
As she left, Hass encountered William Olsen, who was covered in blood, and took him to an EMT. Another student, Samantha Fuentes, got Hass’ attention because she too was injured an needed an EMT immediately.
Prosecutor Michael Satz showed her photos of her students who were killed. Hass began to tear up again as she identified Alex Schachter, Alyssa Alhadeff and Alaina Petty. Satz showed the photos to the jury, but did not make them public.
Nikolas Cruz had his head in his hands for the duration of Hass’ testimony.
Read More: Student Realized Shooting Was Real After Seeing Blood