Kids Meet a School Shooting Survivor | Kids Meet | HiHo Kids

-If someone comes into our classroom with a gun, we are supposed to throw our

school

supplies at the shooter. - Is it something difficult to think about? - Yes, very, very difficult. Because I know it's possible, you know? (constant techno music) - Hello. - Hello. - I'm Niray, nice to

meet

you. - Nice to

meet

you. - Pleased to meet you. I'm Tyrone. - Tyrone, how old are you? - I'm 14. - 14. Do you know what we are here to talk about today or... - About you. - That's right, it's about an experience I had when I was at university, when I was 19 years old.

Do you know what happened or... - I think you were in a

school

shooting

. - Yes. - But that's pretty much what I know. - Do you know what we are here to talk about today or the topic? - School

shooting

? - Yeah, (laughs) you're like (groans) okay, I hope it's not the one. (both laugh) - Is it okay to laugh at that? I feel like I'm making a joke but it's because it scares me. - You're totally allowed to laugh at that. I often have to make jokes about it and make it a little lighter just because it's a difficult topic to talk about.

Have you ever heard of the shooting at Virginia Tech? - It wasn't the first, it was pretty early before-- - Right, it was in 2007. I was in a French class, so, you know, usually on a typical cold day and without warning, a student locked himself in. us inside the building, as if he had chained the door on purpose and killed 30 people. -I just wanted to know what his immediate thoughts were when he first heard the gunshots. -Initially I didn't realize it was gunshots because I felt like he was behind me and then it started to intensify and he got closer, closer, and closer, and closer.

And I was thinking, what's going on? You know, no one said there was a shooting, those words never were, no one called for a lockdown and things like that. He quickly burst into the room and I was in shock, I didn't know what was happening. My teacher and another student tried to push his desk against the door to keep him out, but unfortunately they weren't strong enough and he burst in and shot them first. At that point I went under a desk, he shot all but one person in my classroom, so I almost thought, okay, here's your turn, take it, wait, and that's when he shot me in the head. back, so. - The first time they shot me in the back and then in the butt (laughs). - Getting shot, how did it feel? - It felt like a hot pinch, it wasn't like a reenactment of a movie where everyone is screaming and waving their arms, it wasn't like that.

It just feels like heat. It's very hot, that's the best way I would describe it and then after a while, because I was losing a lot of blood, I started to feel very cold, like I was soaked in water and then I started to fall asleep and lose consciousness. knowledge. , so. So yeah, it sucks, it hurts (laughs), it hurts a lot. -How long did it take you to contact your parents after you were shot? - I didn't see my parents until I woke up in the hospital and my surgeon called my parents and told my mom that I had been shot and that I had to have surgery and they said, we can't wait for you.

Then I woke up around 4 p.m. That afternoon and they were at the hospital. That is the biggest fault I have in the shooting, is that I did not call my parents. So I always pick up the phone when my parents call, I answer them very quickly because I feel so bad about those four hours they had to drive. Has your school talked about mass shootings or lockdown drills and things like that? - We have a little bit, we've made some blocks in case there was ever a shooter in the area or something. - Do you know what you would do if you were in that similar situation? - I think I would try to hide. - That's a pretty fair point (laughs).

The awkward thing is that too much training would teach you to lock yourself in, but if you can also get out of the space, you should. - More or less, but that is also something very hard. I'm not saying don't listen to your teacher, but... if you have a very good sense and a very good feeling that something dangerous is happening, do what you think is best, and that might be disobeying the teacher. . But you may be safer outside of that space. - At my school they have us all grouped in a closet or something, and that always seemed strange to me.

I asked my teacher, "Why are we all going here, where if someone opened the door we would all be here?" And they were like, well, I don't know, I can't really do anything about it. I feel like at my school we are like in a little bubble. We thought, oh, all of that is happening elsewhere, but I think we need to be more realistic about it because it could happen here. - Have you ever heard an adult say something like, this will never happen here? - Yes. - Do you believe that? - No. - I hope it doesn't happen here, I'm not saying it will happen.

But I think when you say that, you subconsciously don't even open yourself up to being prepared and having those conversations. Do you usually feel pretty safe at school? - Yes, sometimes, yes. I'll say it, yes. - What do you think about arming teachers and giving them weapons? - I'm not trying to say anything bad, but there are some teachers who seem a little shallow and a little scary and it can make the students in the classroom feel unsafe and it can make the environment feel strange, you know? - I think it goes a little further than what a teacher has signed up for.

They say, okay, I want to spend time with

kids

and I want to enlighten the next generation, right, but then they give them this extra job, like you have to carry this thing that could kill someone. - I agree 100%. Do you think your school does enough in terms of preparation and training? -If someone comes into our classroom with a weapon, we are supposed to throw anything within reach at them, hoping to stop them. I don't like that we've gotten to that point where we have to try to save ourselves by throwing our school supplies at the shooter. - Is it something difficult to think about? - Yes, but very, very difficult.

Because I know it's possible, you know? - Are there warning signs you should look for in the event of a shooting? - Yes, there are definitely some things you need to keep in mind. Sometimes people openly talk about wanting to carry out a school shooting. You should definitely tell a teacher, a parent, or anyone you trust. If you see someone and they are impressed by it, it is enough to just check on them and see if they are okay. You can't say that, oh, because you did this you're going to do a school shooting, but the goal is to talk and share those concerns because all school shootings are planned in advance and often we, as their friends or Your parents or anyone else can stop that planning. - What are some of the ways you have dealt with your trauma after what happened? - First I found a very good counselor who was incredibly helpful and then I tried to take things slower.

Then people, you know, will freak out, oh, there's traffic, that sucks. But at the end of the day, you're alive, you have to sit in this traffic. I know it sounds very cheesy but it's true. The privilege of being inconvenienced is a real thing and sometimes my friends remind me of it, they appreciate the traffic and I say, shut up (laughs). But it's true, be thankful for it because you never know what the next day has in store for you. (soft pop melody) Hi, I'm Kristina and thank you for watching Kids Meet a School Shooting Survivor.

To learn more about my experience and my foundation, check out the link below, bye.