The students who were present in the cafeteria on August 27th, 2012, are still filled with the vivid imagery of that day. I can still smell the gun smoke, hear the repetitive screaming, and imagine the over crowded lunchroom filled with smiling faces emptied in a matter of moments. Some people are still too petrified to sit at the same table or go through the same routine. I find myself constantly questioning everyone's innocence. After the first shot was fired, I looked behind me and standing only a few feet away was what appeared to be a large black cannon pointing directly into the sea of students. Every single detail felt exaggerated by my fear. The few terrifying minutes spent on the sticky cafeteria floor felt like hours. Everyone was racing out of the cafeteria doors while I stayed underneath the table, too petrified to move. As I began to slowly creep out from under the table, I prayed that the gunman wouldn't break free of Mr. Wasmer's grip. Once I was out from under the table, I saw Daniel standing directly in front of me with a visible gun shot wound on his back. I stared at it for a moment as the event became less like a dream and more like reality. A women screaming “He's been shot! A boy has been shot!” broke me out of my daze. I began sprinting for the cafeteria door without wasting precious time to grab my cell phone and books. With only one shoe,
I made it outside, but with an image of the bloody wound growing larger on Daniel's back glued to my mind. It is an image that I will never be able to forget. Microphones and cameras were already there to greet the students as they anxiously poured out of the school doors. My father and three older brothers picked me up and took me home, where my mother was waiting for us. We instantly turned on the T.V and on almost every news station was “Breaking News! Shooting at the high school.”

This is a news story that I can call one of my own. This is a news story that replaced my innocent mind set with a more realistic perspective on life. I watch the news almost every night with my parents. When we hear stories about tragedies, we always sympathize with those who experienced them. When I hear about other people's misfortunes, my stomach forms a knot with empathy. I feel like I know what those people must be going through. After having witnessed our school shooting, I realized that I really have no clue how those people are feeling. There is an absolute different perception with hearing or reading about an event, as opposed to actually living through one. Now when I watch the videos of the Columbine shooters, comes a flood of familiar emotions rushing back. I can relate with everything those students were going through. After watching the news report on the Sandy Hook shooting, I couldn't believe that so many children had to feel such a gut wrenching pain. Before I experienced a school shooting, I never could have related to these news stories. Now when I hear about gun violence, I get and awful feeling bellowing inside me. News media allows such an in depth look into the lives of people that it feels like we are there with them every step of the way. Media allows us to comprehend each other at a deeper level. In my case, the school shooting news reports put me back in a familiar setting. The feel of the entire news story changes once you genuinely understand and experience it.