Teacher at Florida HS after shooting: ‘Government has failed us and our kids’

A teacher at the Florida high school where a deadly school shooting occurred Wednesday said she feels the “government has failed us and failed our kids” with its response to previous mass shootings.

“We have trained for this. We’ve trained the kids what to do, and the frustration is that we did everything that we were supposed to do … and still have to have so many casualties … it’s very emotional,” Mellisa Falkowski said on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.”

{mosads}“I feel today like our government, our country has failed us and failed our kids, and didn’t keep us safe,” she continued.

The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which is located about 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale.

At least 17 people were killed in the shooting, according to local law enforcement officials. The suspected shooter, a former student at the school, was taken into custody.

The sheriff’s office later identified the shooting suspect as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. 

Aerial footage of the school broadcast by local news stations showed people being treated for injuries and several lying on the ground, while a number of students were seen running away from the school as authorities cleared buildings, letting students go.

President Trump has been briefed on the shooting, according to the White House, and has been in contact with state officials.

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) has slammed lawmakers’ response to the shooting, calling on Congress to pass gun control legislation and saying if Congress doesn’t act, “American voters must.”

Sen Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) also reacted to the shooting by saying such incidents occur in the U.S. “as a consequence of our inaction.”