Parkland survivor describes surviving second shooting at Brown University: ‘I’m really angry’

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: A​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ sophomore student at Brown University and a survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has recounted how she lived through the terrifying experience of a second mass shooting, which happened at her college campus in Providence, Rhode Island.

The student, Zoe Weisman, 20, unfortunately, had to relive the horrifying moments of the Parkland shooting in her mind as she witnessed the tragic event that unfolded at Brown University in Rhode Island on Saturday, Dec 13.

Zoe Weisman on second shooting at Brown University

Zoe Weisman, 20, was inside her dorm when a shooting erupted in the Barus and Holley dormitory area around 4:15 p.m., forcing the university into lockdown as law enforcement searched for a suspect. Two people were killed and eight others critically injured in the attack.

“And I’m actually from Parkland, and I survived the shooting there. And so, I was like, I just; that’s where my brain immediately went.” Weisman said, referring to the moment she realized the situation was unfolding on their campus.

“And I was like, tell me if there’s a shooting, and they confirmed it for me. And so ever since then, I’ve just been staying in my room. I’ve been on the phone with my family, my friends and just keeping updated,” said Weisman.

A friend phoned her asking if she was in the place where the shooting had taken place, but her brain was already going back to what had happened in ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌Florida.

Survivor says second shooting left her angry and shaken

Weisman added, “I think mentally, you know, I feel like I’m 12 again. This just feels exactly like how I felt in 2018. But honestly, I’m really angry. I’m really angry that this is happening to me all over again, and I’m just in shock.”

Weisman’s experience​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ emphasized that her situation is just one example, and the reality is that students everywhere are affected by the same issue; the students who had experienced the previous school shootings are now meeting the new gun violence in different ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌schools.

Weisman talks about double-shooting survivors like her

“I think that my experience is so important because it shows that no one is safe from this until our congresspeople actually decide to do something and care about children, care about their constituents, and care about people in this country. This will continue to happen, and there will be more people like me who have survived several school shootings,” said Weisman, talking about safety and gun policy.

Weisman continued, “There’s already students who survived the school shooting in Oxford in Michigan and then went to Michigan State and survived another school shooting. This isn’t a new phenomenon, and we’re going to get to a point where there are people like myself who survived two of these.”