Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY018018A
|
00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:13 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:10 Hello and welcome to 3ABN. 01:13 My name is John Lomacang 01:14 and here we are in Coral Springs, Florida 01:17 with the Grady family. 01:19 Many of you may have heard about the tragic shooting 01:23 at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas 01:25 High School in Parkland, Florida. 01:28 And we have the privilege today 01:30 and an opportunity to interview one of the young ladies 01:33 that is a student at the Douglas High School. 01:40 February 14th was a day that changed Parkland for, 01:44 I would say forever. 01:46 And the events that surrounded that day 01:49 are going to be recounted and shared 01:52 through the life of Samantha Grady. 01:56 Samantha, it's so good to have you here today. 01:57 Matter of fact, it's good to be in your home. 02:00 And since we are not strangers, it's good to see Sally and Jim, 02:04 thank you for giving us 02:05 the opportunity to come in your home today. 02:08 And we know that, 02:10 with what happened at Douglas High School, 02:14 it's still fresh in your mind, 02:15 it's something 02:17 that you will be living for some time, 02:20 and I know that with the tragedies 02:23 and the things that continue to happen 02:25 as a result of that day. 02:27 We are just praying for you, 02:29 and we have been praying for you, 02:31 and we thank you 02:32 for just giving us the opportunity, 02:34 even though we are family friends. 02:36 Thank you for taking the time to tell us the story. 02:39 And, Jim and Sally, thank you for opening your home up to us 02:43 and giving us a chance to get the story. 02:46 I want to just dive right into it. 02:49 Samantha, tell us about... 02:51 Take us back to February 14th at Douglas High School. 02:55 All right. 02:56 So as usual, 02:58 I was running late because, unfortunately, 03:01 but that morning I had a lot of things to do. 03:05 The night before, I had this concert, 03:08 All-County with my orchestra, 03:11 and I played in that so I was sleep-deprived, 03:14 and I had a test the next day, 03:15 and I was just, I was completely out of it. 03:18 But I had to go rush to my teacher, 03:20 get my course card signed, 03:21 and I had a lot of things to do that day. 03:24 So I was... 03:26 As soon as I got to school, I was rushing to do that. 03:28 And like most days when I'm on time, 03:32 I meet with my friend Helena, 03:34 and we like walk to class together, 03:36 or we have like a few like, we chat before school, 03:39 but I didn't have time to see her today 03:40 because I had to do a lot of other things. 03:43 So I went to my class AP Psych and suffered through my test. 03:49 And then I met up with Helena, 03:51 and she gave me like a little valentine, 03:53 like with a person's picture on it 03:57 that she knew kind of that I kind of like, 03:59 like and then a nice lollipop. 04:02 And I was like, I was really touched 04:05 'cause like she knew exactly 04:06 what I liked and it was, I mean, I cried, kind of 04:12 'cause that's just who I am, 04:13 like when someone gives me something I'm just like, 04:15 "Oh, my goodness, thank you so much." 04:17 And so I was really touched and then we separated, 04:20 and I had to go to my personalization class, 04:23 and I was doing some homework, 04:24 and then there was a fire drill, 04:28 and then we all got up we left. 04:31 We came back in 04:32 and it was nothing like really big 04:35 because we were just like, "Okay, fire drill." 04:36 Routine. It's a routine, yeah. 04:38 And we were kind of annoyed by it 04:39 because like I just got situated. 04:42 And the thing is with fire drills now, 04:44 I have to take everything up. 04:45 So I just put all my stuff down, 04:46 and then I had to take them all up and go out. 04:49 So it was... 04:51 That was, that's pretty much my day, 04:54 and then lunch, and then we sat lunch, 04:56 we talked together. 04:58 There's a group of us at lunch with Helena, 05:01 and a few other friends, and we were talking, 05:03 and, you know, making jokes, 05:05 watching videos, things that teenagers do. 05:08 And then I went to physics, and my class, 05:11 and then I went to Holocaust after physics, and... 05:14 And fire drills at your school are not a small event. 05:16 How many students about 05:18 are at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School? 05:21 Around almost 4,000. Wow. 05:23 So it's a really, really big school. 05:25 So when they say fire drill, everybody has to go out. 05:28 I mean, we all separated into our different zones. 05:31 So they just put that regulation 05:33 in like a month ago actually. 05:35 So we're all separated into our different zones. 05:37 So some teachers go here 05:38 and other teachers go another place. 05:40 So it's not all confusion 05:42 because it used to be like 05:43 everyone just get out, but now it's more organized. 05:47 And what are some of the things that they did that day 05:50 because of the fire drill? 05:52 Well, I mean, what we did in the first fire drill... 05:57 We're just in the fire drill. 06:00 We left the class, 06:01 we took all of our bags and stuff. 06:03 Some people didn't because after a month, 06:05 you kind of started to get a little lackadaisical like, 06:08 with like everything. 06:09 So you just don't think 06:11 it's as important as it used to be. 06:12 So we just went to the senior parking lot. 06:16 We lined up and the teacher counted us 06:18 to make sure we were all there 06:20 and then they held up a sign saying, 06:21 "All of our students are here." 06:23 Then we just waited for the bell to ring, 06:25 and then we went back to class, 06:26 and then we did what we had to do in the class. 06:29 So that takes all about how long? 06:32 Took more like a 20-minute. Okay. 06:34 Yeah, 'cause the administrators had to go around 06:36 and check everything so... 06:38 So this fire drill happened about what time of the day? 06:42 Around like 9:30. 06:44 Okay, early part of the day. Yeah. 06:46 Kind of get it out of the way, not to break the class. 06:49 But after you had already gotten situated you thought, 06:50 well, we could really do without a fire drill. 06:52 Yeah. 06:53 But when you look back on it, 06:55 some of the things that happened 06:56 because of the fire drill were keys 06:59 to keeping the casualties down 07:01 because just to kind of clarify, 07:04 is it true that some of the classrooms remained locked 07:07 because of the fire drill? 07:08 How does that happen? 07:10 So according to my teacher that morning for some reason, 07:14 thank goodness, 07:15 the school decided to like reinforce, 07:19 like all of the security measures 07:21 that they previously made because as I was saying 07:23 before a lot of people were kind of like 07:25 they were getting a little bit lazy with, 07:27 they're keeping their doors unlocked, 07:29 you know, so they wouldn't be bothered 07:30 by students going to the bathroom. 07:32 But this time they made sure 07:34 like every door has to be locked, 07:37 which really, really helped and saved multiple lives. 07:42 So yeah, all of the doors just like locked in general, 07:45 not necessarily 07:46 because of the fire drill, but in general. 07:49 So like if the student has to go to the restroom, 07:52 the teacher has to like... 07:53 Well, they can open the door and go, 07:54 but the teacher has to like stop the lesson 07:56 then go open the door for them when they come back so, 07:59 I mean, I'm happy 08:01 that those security measures were put in place. 08:02 Yeah, that proved to be significant 08:04 as you said keeping the casualty count down. 08:07 But there's something else that happened on February 14th 08:12 you have a particular family routine 08:14 that how you start your day. 08:16 Let's talk about that. 08:17 So in the morning 08:18 after I get dressed and I rush and eat, 08:21 me and my mother, 08:23 since my father is not awake yet 08:24 because, you know, 08:25 it's like really early in the morning. 08:27 We have worship, we read a scripture, 08:29 sometimes we sing a song, 08:31 and then we talk about the scripture, 08:33 and what it means, and then after that we pray, 08:37 and then we start the day of going to school. 08:40 And that particular day, bringing your mom, Sally, 08:43 it's so good to have you here. 08:45 Tell us through the microphone, 08:46 what scripture you read that day? 08:49 Psalms 22, and it was, 08:52 "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?" 08:55 And Samantha said to me, 08:56 "But, Mom, this was what Jesus said 09:00 when He was dying on the cross." 09:03 And I said yes, and she said, 09:06 "Well, I didn't know it was David wrote about it." 09:09 And I said yes, and I started to give her, 09:12 you know, a little quick synopsis of David 09:14 when he was running away from Saul. 09:17 Yeah, and then afterwards 09:18 because time, we didn't have a lot of time. 09:21 I said to her, 09:22 "And, remember, 09:24 you're almost through high school. 09:25 Now you only have a year, and some more months to go, 09:28 and you have to be a witness. 09:31 God have you at this school for a specific reason 09:34 and someone there needs to know about God." 09:36 That's right. 09:37 And we noticed that by the way just to... 09:39 As we talk about, just peeking into the interview 09:42 and what was seen on NBC and maybe some other networks. 09:47 There was a peace that you had 09:49 that I think contributed to the routine 09:51 you have in your family of praying, 09:53 beginning your day with the God. 09:55 But then on that particular day, 09:58 you always have a particular prayer 09:59 that you pray 10:01 before you take Samantha to school. 10:03 Yes. And what was it that day? 10:04 Yes, we prayed, we knelt, and she prayed, 10:06 and I always prayed last. 10:08 And I pronounced, 10:09 "Lord, I'm asking You to bring us safe on the road, 10:14 keep Samantha safe in school, 10:16 and bring her back home safe to us." 10:18 We pray this prayer every day and there was... 10:22 Many times I say, 10:23 "Lord, we cannot make it without You going and leading." 10:27 And that was the prayer. 10:29 But what meaning does that have to you, 10:31 beginning your day with God? 10:33 When I don't have worship, 10:34 I do kind of feel a sense of unease. 10:37 So, like, when I did as a routine, 10:38 I didn't think it was like important 10:40 but when I don't have it, 10:41 I know that like I'm missing something. 10:44 So it definitely does generate 10:47 some type of calm, some type, like, 10:50 it does make me feel more like protected 10:53 or that I'm okay going out in the world, 10:56 you know, I'm not more safe but like, you know, I'm more... 11:00 Feel more comfortable. Feel more confident. 11:02 Confident that you're not going by yourself. 11:04 Yes. That the Lord is with you. 11:06 Take us back. 11:07 So you had the fire drill, everybody's back in class. 11:13 What actually, what subject were you in 11:15 at that particular time? 11:16 Well, during the fire 11:18 I was in a personalization or study hall. 11:20 So I just had 11:21 the whole two hours to myself like to do homework and stuff. 11:26 And so now take us to the scene as it unfolded. 11:31 The school is pretty much relaxed... 11:34 Take us to the moments leading up 11:37 to that tragic event? 11:39 So I was in my Holocaust class, 11:42 which is the class dedicated to like knowing about 11:44 the Holocaust and spreading awareness. 11:46 And we were doing this eyewitness program, 11:50 where we were like listening 11:51 to the tales or Holocaust survivors 11:56 and the trials that they go through, 11:58 more specifically of the Olympics, 12:00 I believe of 1936 in Germany. 12:03 We were focusing mainly on that. 12:06 And I was typing on my computer 12:09 which took me a while to get on 12:10 because it was like the internet was going crazy. 12:13 But I finally got on, and I was typing my responses, 12:17 watching the videos, 12:18 typing like a little paragraphs, 12:20 and I was also listening to some music, and I want... 12:24 'Cause like that's what, I mean, like me and my friend, 12:26 we kind of just like it's not like 12:28 we just had this bond over something, 12:31 and like I wanted to show her something. 12:33 So I'm just like look at this and she's like, 12:35 "Oh, I don't know what that is." 12:39 So I'm just like, okay, 12:40 and then I took out my phone 12:42 'cause I wanted to show her another picture. 12:43 It was Helena? Yes, my friend Helena. 12:45 I took out a phone 12:46 'cause I wanted to show her a picture of someone 12:48 and then I heard this shot. 12:52 My friend Amanda, my good friend, 12:54 she was sitting to the right of me. 12:56 And she ran as soon as she heard it 12:58 'cause I guess her body 12:59 just identified it and it took action. 13:02 But it took me like a few seconds 13:05 'cause I heard the first shot, I'm just like... 13:08 Okay, that's a thing. 13:11 Is this real? And then the second one. 13:13 It still didn't process, but I identified it but I'm, 13:17 like my body was still slow to react 13:19 because I've never ever heard a gunshot 13:21 in my life before that. 13:22 Except on television, 13:24 and you don't really know when you're going to identify. 13:25 Right. Yeah, 'cause it's television. 13:27 Was it loud? Very much so, very, very loud. 13:30 It wasn't deafening but it was very... 13:32 Like I could tell it was close, 13:34 that's how I knew it was something bad. 13:36 But my friend Helena, she was behind me, 13:39 she pushed my shoulder, and said, "Sam." 13:41 And that really jolted me 13:43 so I ran to the left side of the classroom 13:47 by this huge bookshelf 13:49 and there was two cabinets there. 13:52 One big metal cabinet, 13:53 and then the one like tiny little like cabinet, 13:57 and there's this big TV, 13:58 not a TV but it's a smart board, 14:00 this big smart board. 14:02 So we all ran there and we like huddled together 14:06 trying to get out of the line a shot 14:07 as much as possible. 14:10 There was these guys there, 14:12 they were very brave but they stood up 14:15 and they pushed one of the cabinets over us, 14:19 not over us but like trying to block it 14:21 as much as they could 14:22 before the guy came to our classroom. 14:24 Because when the first shots occurred, 14:27 he didn't come to our classroom, 14:29 he went to two others previously. 14:31 And people in the hallway unfortunately, 14:34 they were hit first. 14:36 So we had a little time to move ourselves away 14:40 from the door, out of the line of shot. 14:43 So they pushed the cabinet in front of us, 14:46 we were crouching all squished together 14:49 and then my friend Helena behind me she's like, 14:52 "Grab a book, maybe it'll help, grab a book." 14:54 I held a book, I grabbed like any book I could find, 14:56 I wasn't really concerned, I held it up. 14:58 It was such a tiny book, I really don't think it helped, 15:01 but it was more of like a defense mechanism 15:04 just holding it up, just like, you know... 15:07 Yeah, reactionary. 15:08 Yeah, so something that I felt a little safer. 15:11 One thing though that I remember, 15:14 for some reason, I was completely like... 15:16 And I was like... 15:18 My body was shaking but I was calm, 15:20 and I just had this surety, 15:22 nothing's going to happen to me. 15:24 I don't know why, I don't know how, but I mean... 15:27 You felt this peace. I felt this peace. 15:30 I just... I'm like, I'm not gonna die. 15:32 I knew for a fact, 15:34 I am not going to die, not like, 15:35 you know, reassuring myself, "Oh, I'm not gonna die. 15:38 I'm not gonna die, it's not gonna happen." 15:39 It was just... It was a fact. 15:41 Almost like a confirmation. Yes, it was a confirmation. 15:42 I'm like, I'm not going to die. 15:44 And as soon as I went to them like, 15:46 I prayed, I was praying constantly. 15:48 I'm like, "God, it's all in Your hands." 15:50 I didn't even say help me, it was like, 15:52 "It's all in Your hands. 15:54 You know what You're doing. It's all in Your hands." 15:57 I mean, I don't know why I prayed that prayer, 16:00 but it just felt right, 16:01 and like it's all in Your hands, 16:03 everything is in Your hands. 16:07 And then, going on, 16:09 my friend Helena, she was behind me, 16:11 towed me the book. 16:12 I held the book up 16:13 and then you could feel the impacts, 16:16 like not necessarily on us but it was like heavy, 16:20 like you could feel it hitting the wall. 16:23 Like there's this certain thing to like a gun, like, 16:25 you just know like something's firing, 16:28 like the impact hitting the wall. 16:30 And then, I felt it hitting my friend and... 16:35 By then, had he broken through or... 16:37 He didn't come in the classroom 16:39 because as I said previously thankfully 16:41 the doors were locked. 16:42 And he was like kind of looking for a door but he was very much 16:46 concerned about himself. 16:47 So he didn't want to be seen, 16:49 so he didn't really like open the door and like, 16:51 you know, "Hey, I'm here." 16:53 So he shot through the window, there's like a little glass, 16:58 rectangular thing. 16:59 He shot through the window multiple times. 17:02 So he can first get through the window 17:04 because our windows are designed 17:06 to kind of be a little barrier to a gunshot, not... 17:10 So are they big windows or little windows? 17:11 No, they're tiny windows 17:13 but they have like zigzags on them. 17:14 So it doesn't go straight through, 17:17 like something like a bullet doesn't go straight through. 17:20 So he shot a few times, 17:22 trying to get like a hole big enough, 17:23 and then he continued to shoot in our classroom trying to, 17:26 you know, shoot as much... 17:27 Just randomly. 17:29 Just randomly, thankfully he didn't do, like, specific 17:31 he was just randomly as much as he could. 17:34 But it ended up hitting my friend 17:35 and hitting this guy Nick who was right next to me. 17:39 He, you know, he unfortunately died, 17:42 and then unfortunately my friend did as well. 17:45 Did you see 17:46 the immediate impact on the people 17:48 that were hit next to you? 17:50 Kind of, it was more like, it was kind of slow motion 17:53 because I've seen Nick, 17:54 he was like standing a little away from me 17:56 and then he laid down next to me, 17:59 not like laid down but he... 18:00 Collapsed. 18:02 He kind of collapsed next to me. 18:04 And I was still moving away, 18:07 closer to the people that I was 18:09 with because I was kind of a little visual 18:13 like they could... 18:15 You couldn't see me completely 18:17 but I was like 18:19 if I moved my head a little bit, 18:20 I could see him. 18:22 So I'm just like if I can see him, 18:23 he could probably see me. 18:25 So I was trying to move closer to the people in front of me, 18:28 and I was completely on top of this guy, 18:29 I mean, don't know him, 18:30 but I was completely on top of this guy. 18:33 I'm trying to get away and then my friend 18:36 she got hit multiple times I believe. 18:42 Yeah, and I... 18:43 Is that Helena? Helena, yes. 18:45 I've seen her fall over, 18:47 not fall over but slump to the right. 18:50 And, I mean, I knew, like, 18:55 in my mind I'm just like, I've just seen this. 18:57 But it didn't, I had to push it away 18:59 because he was still firing and I'm like, 19:02 I can't concentrate on that right now, 19:04 there is people crying. 19:06 I'm like... 19:07 And there was this girl, she was crying, 19:08 she was texting everyone she knew 19:10 because like she believed that this was her last moment, 19:13 and I had to calm her down. 19:15 Because if I didn't, he might, 19:18 you know, come back or he might, 19:20 you know, put a more target on us 19:22 'cause he knew people were alive there. 19:24 And people covered her mouth but then she couldn't breathe 19:27 so we had to let go but she was... 19:28 In another words, 19:29 "Don't make noise, don't get his attention." 19:31 Yeah, exactly, 'cause he wanted people 19:33 to, like, scream and tear, at least, 19:36 from what I've heard, 19:37 he'd kind of, like, had that gratification. 19:40 So we kind of were just like, 19:42 "Don't do that, that's what they want, 19:44 be quiet, be quiet." 19:46 And we were just calming her down 19:47 the whole entire time. 19:49 So, yeah, 19:50 I couldn't really focus on, like, 19:51 I wanted to and, 19:53 I mean, at one point I did lose my cool. 19:54 But it was like, 19:55 for a second I'm like, you know, "Sam, stop. 19:57 Continue, just focus on 19:58 what we have to do we will get out of this. 20:01 We got this, just focus on a layer. 20:04 Call 911. 20:05 Do what you have to do." 20:06 And I ended up calling 911. 20:11 I spoke to them 20:13 and, you know, I told them the situation, 20:14 I'm like... 20:16 So in the middle of all of this, 20:17 you were composed enough to call 911? 20:19 For some reason, yes, I was... 20:22 He was still shooting when I called, 20:24 but he wasn't in our classroom. 20:26 It was randomly, the bullets were just... 20:28 It was, I mean, I didn't have time to like, 20:31 you know, observe or... 20:33 I just, I wasn't concerned about that. 20:34 I don't even know 20:35 when I got hit, I don't even know how, 20:38 I don't know any of that. 20:40 All I know is I was trying to move closer and closer, 20:43 closer up, possibly that's when... 20:46 Did you feel it? 20:49 I didn't feel the impact, but I knew something happened. 20:51 Okay. 20:53 Like, I didn't know exactly 20:54 'cause, I mean, I knew something happened enough 20:57 for me to be hurt 20:59 because I felt, as I said, I felt like some liquid. 21:00 So I knew I was hurt in some way, 21:02 but I didn't think it was anything really 21:04 because I didn't feel faint, 21:06 I didn't feel like I was going to pass out. 21:09 So I'm just like, "Okay, it must be minor. 21:11 Let me just continue what I'm doing." 21:13 And you were shot twice? 21:16 Yeah, well kind of I was graced 21:18 and then a fragment ricocheted into my chest 21:23 so I still kind of have fragments there. 21:25 But, yeah, I was kind of, 21:28 technically there was two bullets involved. 21:30 Okay. Not only one. 21:31 So it didn't go straight there. 21:32 But there was this girl, her name was Caitlyn. 21:34 She was hiding behind this laptop cart. 21:38 She was right next to my friend Helena actually. 21:40 She was holding her hand and just saying, 21:43 "It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay." 21:45 But she was the one who told me that I had God graced, like, 21:47 I knew something happened 21:49 but as I said I thought it was minor, 21:50 and I didn't really like focus on it. 21:52 But like I was on 911 calling and she's like, 21:54 "You got grazed, 21:55 you got to get checked that out." 21:57 And I'm like, "Okay, okay, okay." 21:58 I'm like, "I'll deal with that later, 22:00 I'll deal with that later, but I'm like okay." 22:02 So I was talking on the phone 22:03 to the attendants on the 911 line, 22:06 and I'm just like, 22:08 "There's a shooting on my school. 22:10 I'm in the freshmen building. 22:11 I'm in..." 22:13 I didn't know what room we were in. 22:14 I didn't have time to think that. 22:16 So I'm just like, 22:17 I'm in the freshman building somewhere. 22:19 We're in Miss Sheamus's class," that's all I really remembered. 22:22 And then she's like, 22:24 "Hold on the line, stay on the line, 22:25 stay on the line." 22:27 And I was shaking, but I was calm like she said, 22:29 "No matter what, 22:31 even if you have to drop the phone, stay on the line." 22:34 And like, I don't like... I didn't like how that sounded. 22:37 So in my mind I'm just like, 22:38 "I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that 22:40 because that means 22:41 I would have a face-to-face conflict 22:42 or I would have to pretend something 22:44 that I didn't want to pretend." 22:45 So, like, even during that time, 22:47 I was thinking of ways to pretend like, 22:49 you know, that I was dead. 22:51 I'm just like, so like... 22:52 There's a lot of things rushing through your brain. 22:54 There's just all these emotions, thoughts, 22:58 what do I do next, what do I not do. 23:01 I mean, you're just trying to survive. 23:02 Like you're doing 23:04 every animalistic instinct or every, 23:06 like, any tiny, like, anything, 23:09 you just try like it's just coming back to you, 23:12 like, from what you heard on the television, 23:14 from when you heard, like what people did, 23:17 like from previous incidents, 23:19 everything is coming back to you at that moment. 23:21 Just like, 23:22 "Okay, so this is how people did it to survive. 23:24 Maybe, if I do this..." 23:25 But fortunately, it didn't have to come to that. 23:27 There's no checklist that you go through... 23:28 No, it was just like, let me do this now. 23:30 And when did you get out of the classroom 23:31 or how did you get out? 23:33 Well, we heard voices. 23:34 A lot of manlike voices, 23:36 and we're just like I was speculative, 23:38 and I'm like what is that. 23:39 So I thought it was a security guard 23:41 at the school or something. 23:42 And then I'm like no, 23:43 it has to be the police squad they wouldn't come in here. 23:45 But like as I said, my friend, she was inconsolable, 23:47 she's like, 23:49 "It's not the police, it's not the..." 23:50 It's like, "They're all together." 23:52 And she was very, she was like very paranoid, 23:54 and very like distrusting. 23:56 And so we heard them and then like as I said 24:02 there was a window and I could, like, 24:03 if I move my head enough, 24:05 I could kind of see what's happening. 24:07 So I got a little courage just like moved my head 24:09 and at the window 24:10 I've seen like 24:12 the SWAT team dressed in all black 24:13 had the helmets, had like these huge guns, 24:15 but like I knew 24:16 they weren't gonna do anything with them. 24:17 But they had the guns there 24:19 and then they were yelling at us like, 24:21 "Who's in here or is anyone injured?" 24:22 And we were telling them, 24:23 "Yes, there's 30 people in here." 24:25 Oh, I forgot the number but there's people in here, 24:27 there's people injured, there's people 24:31 we don't know how badly they're hurt." 24:34 And they're just like, "Okay, put your hands up." 24:37 And like I was holding my phone, 24:38 and we all had to put our hands up 24:40 'cause at that time the shooter 24:41 is still at large unfortunately. 24:42 So they didn't know 24:44 if he came in the class and slipped in or anything 24:46 so they were suspicious of everyone. 24:47 So I put my hand up, he knocked down the window, 24:50 opened the door. 24:51 And he said, "Who's injured?" 24:53 And I raised hand because as I said, 24:54 I didn't feel anything 24:56 but she told me that I was injured. 24:57 So I'm just like, 24:59 I had doubt 25:00 that I was injured enough to be seen 25:02 'cause I know there was other people 25:03 that were more. 25:05 But I'm just like let me just get it over with. 25:06 So I'm like, I raised my hand. 25:08 He like, you know, he held the gun to me 25:10 but like I knew nothing was wrong 25:12 'cause he was just being cautious. 25:13 So he escorted me out to outside of the classroom. 25:17 Then we went to... 25:19 There's a right side. 25:20 There's two exits to the freshmen building 25:22 so I went to the right one. 25:24 And there was other people coming out of other classrooms, 25:26 and we kind of just like stood there for a second, like, 25:28 we know there was a guard there. 25:30 We just stood there. 25:31 We were quite confused like, "Oh, are we safe? 25:35 Are we not?" And then, he said, "Run." 25:38 So I ran, I've never run that fast in my life. 25:41 So the officer just said run. He said run. 25:44 So we ran to the... 25:46 There's a street, 25:48 we ran across the street to this hill. 25:51 But how many of you were running about that time? 25:53 Just the ones in your classroom? 25:55 No, they didn't come out yet. Oh, okay. 25:57 'Cause only the injured were taken out first, 25:59 and I was one of the injured 26:01 so there was about 10 of us that were just kind of like, 26:05 "So what do we do now?" 26:07 And he said run. 26:08 And then at first all these guys passed me 26:10 because they're faster. 26:11 And I was just trying to run and I ran... 26:14 I didn't go across the street, I ran behind a truck. 26:17 Was there any smell of gunpowder in the air? 26:20 Yeah, I'll never really forget that. 26:22 There was like, 26:24 it was a combination of a smoke bomb 26:25 'cause he set a smoke bomb 26:27 so to get the fire alarm going so people would leave. 26:31 So he set a smoke bomb and the gunpowder. 26:35 According to my friend, 26:36 it was like fireworks mixed with metal. 26:39 I'll never forget the smell 26:41 but I don't know how to identify it. 26:42 So I'll just say fireworks mixed with metal. 26:44 Right. But yeah, it was present. 26:46 As I said, 26:48 I didn't really bother too much to... 26:49 I didn't retain it really too much 26:52 because I know it's a contradiction, 26:54 but I didn't really retain it 'cause I wasn't focused on it. 26:56 So I'm like, "Okay, that's a smell, 26:58 let me just focus on what I have at hand." 27:01 Trying to get out of the building. 27:02 So at this time then, 27:04 Helena was still in the classroom? 27:06 Yeah, I mean, 27:09 she didn't look okay, she didn't look... 27:11 It didn't look good. 27:12 The situation did not look good at all. 27:16 I had a very strong like premonition, 27:19 like I knew it wasn't, 27:24 you know, the situation didn't look good. 27:26 But I still cling, 27:28 like I clawed at that one thread of hope. 27:31 I'm just like, just in case maybe a miracle, 27:34 and I was praying to God for a miracle 27:36 'cause I knew it would take a miracle. 27:41 Yeah, so I was just... 27:43 that's the situation with Helena but, yeah. 27:46 How long was it before... 27:48 Were there students coming 27:50 from other places at the same time or they just, 27:51 only the injured right now were coming out? 27:53 Well, there was one building which he really hit. 27:59 The other students, they were on lockdown. 28:02 So the rest of the school besides my area, 28:06 they were on lockdown. 28:08 So the people in those classrooms, 28:11 so it's like five classrooms. 28:14 They were just taking care of the injured first 28:17 and then they were moving on to, 28:19 like the students were coming out, 28:20 but just more of the injured ones. 28:23 Talk about Helena, a little bit here for us 28:25 because, you know, 28:27 you made references to her quite a bit. 28:30 Tell us about her because you said, 28:31 "My friend Helena, she pushed me out of the way, 28:33 and I believe I'm here because of what she did." 28:35 Yes. 28:36 How long have you known her? Since eighth grade. 28:40 Well, I've known her since seventh grade, 28:42 but we didn't become friends since eighth grade. 28:46 Like we were in the same class 28:47 but I never really talked to her, 28:49 only occasionally, you know, being friendly. 28:51 But in eighth grade 28:52 we sat next to each other in science 28:56 and then we talked, 28:57 you know, doing what friends do, 28:59 teasing other people, not teasing but like, 29:01 you know, like making fun of their accents, you know. 29:04 So we were doing that. 29:06 We, you know, pretended we were like, 29:08 you know, certain people. 29:10 And like it was just teenager acting. 29:12 Role playing. Yeah, exactly. 29:14 So we had a lot of jokes and a lot of other things. 29:18 But you were not just friends at school, 29:20 you had life outside of school. 29:21 Yes, we went on a cruise together 29:25 in freshman year of high school. 29:28 We went out to eat whenever like often, 29:31 she was like always here for my birthdays, 29:34 you know, always gave me gifts. 29:35 Christmas, she came over once, 29:37 you know, gave me gifts and whatnot. 29:39 We had a pretty good friendship, 29:41 you know, we had an inside jokes. 29:43 I mean, she was just a beautiful person in general. 29:46 She was the sweetest of anyone I know, 29:49 she was always caring, 29:50 she was really accepting of who you are, 29:51 even if you were completely nuts 29:53 like I was. 29:54 But she was very accepting who you were, 29:58 she didn't really discriminate, 30:01 she was always there to talk to, like, 30:04 actually she gave really good advice. 30:06 Did she ever come to church with you? 30:08 Yes, actually. 30:09 And for good like two months consecutively, 30:12 every week she would come to church. 30:16 And she enjoyed it for a while, you know, it was nice 30:20 'cause, I mean, we're a family at church, 30:23 and we're very welcoming to everyone, 30:26 and she was my good friend. 30:27 So as soon as she came like all my other friends there, 30:31 they all welcomed her, you know. 30:33 "Samantha's friend is here." 30:34 Yeah, and they learned her name, 30:35 then personality. 30:37 And she was very special in all of our hearts. 30:41 And you're 17 and she was 17. She was 17. 30:44 Now you're outside the school, they told you run. 30:49 Where did you run to? 30:51 I ran behind a truck because during the class... 30:55 I was trying to call my parents. 30:57 But I was on the phone with 911 30:59 so I couldn't hang up on them well. 31:01 So I'm just like, "Hele, can I borrow your phone?" 31:04 She said yes. 31:05 But then she never actually gave it to me 31:07 because she was one with like, you know, scared. 31:09 So I'm just like, okay. 31:11 So I knew, I had to call them as soon as possible. 31:13 So I ran behind this big van, truck thing, and I'm like, 31:18 okay, I called them, I'm like, "Mom, hello." 31:20 And she was just like, "Hi." 31:22 You know, 'cause she didn't know anything 31:24 that was happening, it just happened. 31:25 So I'm like, 31:26 "Mom, there was a shooting at school I'm hurt, 31:31 but I'm okay, it's okay. 31:32 I'm fine, everything's okay. 31:35 If you don't see me, 31:36 I'm in an ambulance on my way somewhere. 31:38 I was hurt a little bit, don't worry, I'm okay." 31:40 And I was mostly focused on calming them 31:43 'cause I didn't want them to... 31:45 Because my mom she's very, you know... 31:47 She's a mom, you know. 31:49 A mom, exactly concerned about her daughter. 31:51 And my dad, you know, 31:52 I just, I didn't want them to worry too much 31:54 about anything 31:56 that was really happening, you know. 31:58 And where were you, Sally, when the call came through? 32:01 I was in the kitchen making a sandwich 32:03 to take for her 32:05 because I was gonna pick her up 32:06 at the park at three to take her for SAT review. 32:09 And then the phone rang, 32:11 I saw her name came up, and I said, 32:12 "Hello, Samantha." 32:13 And then I heard some noise in the background 32:16 and she says "I'm hurt." 32:18 I said, "What are you talking about?" 32:19 And she says, 32:21 "I'm hurt but I'm going to be okay. 32:22 There's a shooting at the school." 32:23 I said, "Where are you? 32:25 I ran out of the house and Jim drove over, 32:26 I mean, you know, 32:28 he was so good getting there as quickly. 32:29 I was barefooted, I was running, 32:32 and I had even a towel over my shoulder, 32:34 and it was just, it was just so scary. 32:37 And when we got there, 32:39 you know, and I decided to call her, 32:40 then I realized that the battery had died. 32:44 And everyone was on their phone 32:45 calling their children to see what happened, 32:47 it was panic, everyone was panicking. 32:49 And then, 32:51 there was a gentleman standing beside us, 32:52 and I borrowed his phone and I called Samantha. 32:55 We didn't get her, 32:57 but we left the number, left a message, 32:58 and then she called back, 32:59 and the gentleman gave me the phone, and said it is her. 33:02 And then she said, 33:03 "Mom, I'm on my way to North Broward Hospital." 33:06 Okay. And so we went there. 33:07 So that's where you met up with your mom. 33:09 Jim, you were driving, 33:11 give me an account of what you think about this. 33:13 When you're driving and you hear the word shooting 33:16 and what's going through your mind? 33:20 It was a worst day in my life, the worst minute of my life. 33:24 She's the most precious possession 33:26 God gave us 17 years ago. 33:29 And I love her beyond belief 33:33 and she's my life. 33:36 She is my life! 33:39 And I drove like a lunatic 33:44 to get to the school 33:46 and there was police cars and ambulances all around. 33:51 And I got within about a half a mile of the school, 33:54 and they made us park the car, and we jumped out of the car, 33:58 and we ran, ran, ran to the school. 34:02 And I tried to get a phone. 34:04 My phone has never been... 34:06 I never had it not charged 34:09 in the 10 years I've had my phone. 34:13 It went blank, it was out, it was on... 34:15 I could not believe. We couldn't get to her. 34:19 I asked the policeman for his... 34:20 Could I borrow his phone? He said, "No." 34:22 I said, "Can I go in?" 34:24 "No, you can't, you guys stay back here." 34:26 We had no idea... 34:27 So you felt helpless, pretty much. 34:29 No idea what was going on, 34:30 and the people are running and running toward the school. 34:35 All the parents were going crazy, 34:37 nobody knew anything that was going on. 34:39 We just knew the cops, 34:41 and a helicopter, and it was just... 34:45 I finally borrowed a phone from this nice guy, 34:48 he let me take the phone and we called her. 34:50 And I think you took the phone, and spoke to Samantha, 34:53 and she said 34:54 she was on the way to the hospital. 34:56 Well, I said what hospital? North Broward. 34:59 I said, "That's all I wanted to know. 35:01 I hung up the phone. I said, "Come on, let's go." 35:03 We ran back to the car, 35:06 and all I know is North Broward is about 20 minutes 35:11 from where we were. 35:13 But the traffic was packed-up, it was unbelievable, 35:17 and I said, "I can't take this, " 35:19 and I went in the other lane. 35:21 I hope the police aren't listening to this. 35:24 I went in the other lane, and drove, 35:26 and just drove like a madman, I went through the lights, 35:29 and she's screaming, "Take it easy, take it easy." 35:34 PS I got to the school in probably 10, 15 minutes. 35:38 Went to the hospital? I mean, to the hospital. 35:41 I passed ambulance. 35:42 I passed everybody, 35:44 and we got to the ambulance. 35:48 I mean, we got to the... 35:49 Hospital. To the hospital. 35:51 But the trauma, 35:52 you're going through trauma now also, 35:53 both of you are. 35:55 So you guys finally got to the hospital. 35:57 Were there a lot of cars at the hospital? 35:59 Was it showing any signs of the trauma 36:04 that was happening? 36:06 Did you see other people rushing there? 36:09 There was all kinds 36:10 of havoc going on at the hospital. 36:13 And what really upset me is I heard she was okay 36:16 because I had spoken to her. 36:18 But I just didn't believe it, I wasn't sure. 36:22 And what really bothered me 36:25 was when there was a police officer saying, 36:27 "All right, family, all family from the school, 36:31 go down that aisle, and go into that room." 36:34 There was about seven desks with women sitting there 36:38 with paperwork, "What's the name?" 36:41 And I was, "Samantha Grady." 36:43 "Samantha Grady, Samantha Grady, 36:46 no she didn't come in yet." 36:49 I says, "Okay, but she left the hospital like an hour ago." 36:54 "No, she didn't come in yet." Okay, thank you. 36:57 And we're standing around and a lady walks in and says, 37:01 "I got Samantha Grady." 37:03 We say, "That's us, that's us." 37:05 So she took us up to the room. 37:07 And so, Samantha, 37:08 when you see your parents tell us 37:09 about that moment? 37:11 I was laying down, and I was just, like, okay. 37:15 I was getting calls from everybody 37:16 and they were like, "Are you okay?" 37:18 I was confirming, I'm fine. 37:20 And then, at one point, 37:23 kind of like emotions came like everything came back, 37:26 I finally let myself, 37:28 kind of have emotional anything. 37:31 And I'm just like, "Oh, my goodness." 37:32 And I started bawling, 37:34 and then the ambulance were just like, 37:35 "It's okay, it's okay, it's fine." 37:38 But one thing I do distinctly remember is this, 37:41 we were like at the hospital, and all I was, like, 37:45 I was literally like singing, 37:46 I didn't want to embarrass myself 37:48 'cause I'm just like, 37:49 you know, I'm kind of in a situation, 37:50 but I was singing, "God will take care of you." 37:53 Like the whole time, like I knew I was fine, 37:55 but over and over, I'm like be not dismayed 37:58 whate'er befall God will take care of you. 38:00 And then I was singing the chorus, 38:01 it was my dad's favorite song. 38:03 So I'm just like singing it over and over again. 38:05 And then they're just like, 38:06 "It's going to be okay, it's going to be okay." 38:08 And I'm just like, "Let me sing." 38:09 So I was just singing... 38:10 In the ambulance? Yeah. 38:12 And like even, when I was in the trauma room, 38:15 you know, when they were, you know, putting the IVs in, 38:17 checking if I was okay. 38:18 I was just like God will take care of you, 38:20 and I was singing over and over. 38:22 And like the personnel there, they were just... 38:27 They were kind of looking at me strangely, 38:28 I'm just like let me just sing, stop looking at me, 38:30 I don't care, I'm going to sing. 38:32 Amen. They tried to calm me down. 38:34 'Cause you knew, 38:35 'cause you knew, I mean I just felt that. 38:38 'Cause you knew that you were not there 38:39 because God had overlooked you. 38:41 And it's one of those sour moments 38:43 but the sweet moments 38:45 because you were thinking of your friend Helena 38:48 and as you had this emotional reality check, 38:51 you know, "Okay, I navigated out of that. 38:53 The Lord guided me, He protected me. 38:56 But my friend's gone." 38:59 What happened when you thought about that? 39:02 Well, as I was saying, 39:03 I left before Helena was checked. 39:06 You didn't know at that time... 39:07 I didn't know, I mean, really I figured, 39:10 and I was kind of like, 39:11 I was kind of sure but as I said before, 39:14 I was like holding on to any, like, 39:18 so I'm just like maybe they got her out, 39:19 maybe the miracle happened while I wasn't looking ' 39:21 cause I was just, I was on my way out. 39:24 So as soon as I was taken care of, 39:28 you know, people were trying to distract me, 39:29 but I was like any news on this girl named Helena, 39:33 Helena Ramsey. 39:35 She has a mole right here, 39:36 and I was describing her to everybody. 39:38 And then they were like, "No, we don't see her." 39:41 'Cause she wasn't at that hospital. 39:43 Like, "No, we don't see her, we don't see her." 39:46 And then my parents came in, and I was so happy to see them, 39:51 but I couldn't... 39:52 Like, I'm not going to cry 39:54 because they are going to be worried. 39:55 So I'm just like, I was smiling, and I'm like, 39:57 "I'm okay, I'm fine." 39:59 And I was trying to lighten, 40:01 not lighten but like I was trying to be like, 40:03 "I'm okay, it's okay." 40:05 Trying to be a strong lady in the moment. 40:06 Yeah, and my dad, 40:07 he was worried, it was all over his face. 40:10 He just came in, rushed to my side. 40:12 I'm just like, 40:13 "I am here, I'm fine, I'm okay." 40:15 And then my mom, she came in. 40:17 And I'm like, 40:18 I was holding her arm and I'm like, 40:20 "I'm fine, I'm here, I'm okay." 40:21 And so there you are, 40:23 the medical team is getting into. 40:26 When did you find out 40:28 what had actually happened to Helena? 40:29 So I was discharged from the hospital, 40:32 like everyone from church came, like it was, 40:35 it was surprising how much people... 40:36 It wasn't surprising 40:37 but it was just like, "Oh, my goodness." 40:39 The news traveled so quickly. 40:40 Yeah, it was really, really quickly. 40:41 People just stopped their lives and just came to your side. 40:43 Yeah, which was, it's great 'cause, you know, they're like, 40:46 they're my brothers and sisters, 40:47 and my family, you know, my second family. 40:50 So we, you know... 40:52 All the hugging and are you okay... 40:54 Not hugging 'cause I was kind of like, 40:56 you know, but they were like, as soon as they came in, 40:59 I started crying and like... 41:01 And then Helena's best friend, like she grew up with her, 41:06 like me and her we're close 41:07 but, like, this girl she literally, 41:09 they were in like diapers together. 41:11 She came in, like, 41:12 she is very strong, I have to say that. 41:15 She came in, and I was bawling, as soon as I had seen her, 41:18 I'm like, I was bawling. 41:20 'Cause she was the first person, like, 41:21 besides my parents, 41:22 after her she was the first person 41:24 who I called or who called me. 41:25 It's the first person 41:26 who called me after the incident 41:28 because she was like... 41:29 She knew me and Helena were in the same room. 41:31 And I'm like, 41:32 "It does not look good, but keep hoping, keep praying." 41:34 So she came into the hospital room 41:36 and I was just like, 41:38 I started bawling and I'm like, 41:39 I asked for a hug, and I'm like, "Any news? 41:42 Any news? Any news?" 41:43 She's like, "No, we can't find her. 41:44 We came to this hospital, but she's not here." 41:47 And they literally went everywhere to find her. 41:51 And then I went to bed because I had to, 41:54 it was like one in the morning, and I had to go... 41:56 And we had to do the interview 41:58 with NBC that morning at like six. 42:01 So... 42:02 So they discharged you...? 42:03 Yeah, they discharged me at like 7:30ish. 42:06 I wasn't in there for a long time. 42:10 But I was sleeping, 42:11 and I kept asking like give me any updates. 42:13 And then, Helena's mom she was the one who texted me. 42:16 She's like, "I'm sorry to say this, 42:18 but Helena passed away yesterday. 42:20 Sam, she loved you very much." 42:22 And like for a moment there, I was just, like I had no... 42:26 Like it's not I had no emotion, I was just... 42:28 Is this real? 42:30 Yeah, I had to process everything. 42:32 I just, I didn't know what to think and then my mom 42:36 is like sleeping right next to me 42:37 because, you know, it was a traumatic experience, 42:39 and they didn't want me to sleep by myself. 42:41 So I started crying, and then like my mom woke up, 42:46 and she's just like, "What's happening?" 42:47 And I'm like, and I showed her the text. 42:50 And she's like, "Oh, no." 42:51 And then I started recounting everything 42:54 that I did with Helena. 42:55 How she was amazing, how like just her personality, 43:00 you know, all the fun things that we did, 43:03 like everything I was recounting 43:05 to my mom, and I was crying. 43:07 And that whole night, 43:09 I couldn't really sleep after that, 43:11 and then like during the night 43:12 I kept getting phone calls from all of Helena's friends, 43:15 and like Emma called me, 43:17 which is her best friend who she grew up with. 43:19 They all called me, and they were all crying. 43:20 And I'm like, "How this is real, like, what?" 43:25 I was trying to process everything. 43:28 Right 'cause you don't think of losing a friend at 17. 43:31 No, you don't, you definitely don't. 43:33 And how long before 43:34 that have you guys celebrated her birthday? 43:36 Well, my birthday, we celebrated on Sunday. 43:40 Just the Sunday before that? 43:42 The Sunday before 43:43 so like three or four days before. 43:45 And then her birthday was a month before, 43:48 she's a month older than me. 43:50 So we celebrated her birthday, but I gave her a shirt, 43:54 you know, 'cause we were into an agreement 43:57 and so I gave her a shirt. 43:58 I'm talking about like a drama. Okay. 44:03 She took pictures of me, 44:04 you know, using like filters and whatnot. 44:07 And like that's what we did for her birthday, 44:11 not the last time I've seen her, 44:12 but the time that I celebrated something with her 44:14 was the Sunday before. 44:16 So all of a sudden, this close friend, 44:19 your comrade in and out of school 44:22 is no longer here. 44:24 You know, 17 years old is not the time, 44:27 you know, I looked at some of the news 44:28 and there are a lot of people that are going through pain. 44:31 Parents, some of the children range 44:33 in age 14, 15, 16, two or three adults, 44:37 I think were also tragically victimized 44:41 by this shooting. 44:42 But the lot of young people, 44:44 you know, when you think of your age, 44:46 you think, "Okay, I'm planning for college." 44:50 Were you and her are talking about kind of school 44:52 do you want to go together? 44:54 Not together. 44:56 She wanted to go back to England 44:58 'cause like that's where she was born. 45:00 Oh, in England? Yeah. 45:01 So she wanted to do school there, 45:03 something abroad because she's just like, 45:05 "America's just not for me at the moment." 45:07 So she wanted to do something abroad, 45:09 she was an anti-American, 45:11 she just didn't like, she's like... 45:12 Not her home. It wasn't her home. 45:13 So she wanted to go abroad London, 45:15 Spain like something in Europe. 45:18 So they were looking into that 45:19 and I wanted to stay here in Nova, 45:21 or Andrews, or something. 45:22 So we would be separated for college 45:25 but like we were, 45:27 I mean, it's the time of the year, 45:28 and it's the time of our lives 45:30 where we discussed college fair a lot. 45:31 So that was most of our conversation, you know. 45:33 The best of friends, anyway. Yeah. 45:35 No matter what the distance was. 45:37 Of course, of course. Boy! 45:39 So how has that impacted your life now 45:44 'cause you're going 45:45 to be getting ready for college, 45:47 you're going to be taking your SATs, 45:49 practicing for that pretty soon here, 45:51 and you think of... 45:53 'Cause there are a lot of young people 45:54 that are probably listening to this interview 45:57 because this story has just rippled 45:58 throughout the nation, 46:00 and I would say throughout the world 46:01 because 3ABN is a worldwide network, 46:03 it's being seen in countries 46:05 where this kind of thing doesn't happen. 46:08 What do you say to young people that say, 46:09 "Well, you know, I've got a lot of time. 46:11 I mean, I'm just a teenager." What's the message? 46:15 If this whole experience has proved anything, 46:18 it's that we don't have a lot of time. 46:20 Like, not necessarily a lot of time 46:22 but not as much time as you think 'cause it's like, 46:26 not even me 46:27 but like I know a lot of people who are just like, 46:28 "Oh, you know, I'll wait. 46:30 I'm at this stage in my life 46:31 where I have to focus on school. 46:34 I mean, God is there but, you know, let me just, 46:36 I have to do this, I have to..." 46:38 You know, and they make a lot of like sacrifices 46:40 for like their faith and not only that, 46:44 but like there are just a lot of people 46:46 that I've come in contact, 46:47 most, they're not really, like, they're just like, 46:52 the foundation, like God is not... 46:54 God is there, God is present, 46:55 but they don't have a close relationship with God. 46:58 And I admit, like at one point 47:00 I was looking like that as well. 47:03 But it's just like God was there, 47:05 but He just wasn't at forefront in their lives. 47:08 I mean, out of this whole experience, 47:12 He should be the center and the focus 47:15 because you should have that, not surety 47:18 but you should not be scared 47:19 of what's going to happen to you. 47:21 That's right. 47:22 Like when you die, like when, 47:24 you know, the resurrection and whatnot, 47:26 like you should not be scared 47:28 of what's going to happen to you. 47:29 You should, you should know... 47:31 Have an assurance. 47:32 You should have an assurance, 47:33 not necessarily like a full assurance, 47:35 but you should have like, 47:37 be like not scared of death or not scared of... 47:40 You should know God, 47:41 that's like just go closer to Him, 47:43 although it's like challenging now, 47:45 and like everything is against it, 47:46 especially now, 47:48 you know, religious is like, people being religious is bad. 47:52 Just cling to God 47:54 because He literally is the only thing 47:56 that can like help you. 47:58 So your relationship with Jesus now and that prayer, 48:01 that prayer life that was as you said earlier, 48:04 maybe a routine, "Okay, let's do this, 48:06 I'm on my way to school, 48:07 mom's going to have prayer with me," when I go. 48:09 Now all of a sudden, you look back at that 48:10 with a completely different viewpoint. 48:13 It's like it means something to me now. 48:15 And not that it didn't mean anything 48:16 but now it has a stronger staple. 48:18 It's like, 48:19 "Yeah, God is available to the 17-year old, 48:21 to the 14-year old, to the teenager in a world 48:24 where there's so much instability." 48:27 Okay, let's get to the media part of life 48:28 where my phone is like, 48:30 my right hand's not really my Bible. 48:32 You know, my Instagram, my Facebook, my Twitter, 48:36 my Snapchat, all these types of things 48:38 are just so much a part of my life, 48:39 the technical aspect. 48:41 But then, when you hear gunshots, 48:42 those things all of a sudden, they don't matter anymore. 48:46 It's a moment that life, you know, you... 48:49 One of the questions I want to ask you is that, 48:51 you know, you came face-to-face with something 48:55 that most people would never have to experience. 48:58 Your life could be decided by the next pull of a trigger. 49:02 How has that impacted you? 49:06 Tell me, has it made you stronger, 49:07 has it made you weaker, 49:09 what kind of impact has it had on you? 49:11 To be honest I'm not, like, sure, 49:13 I mean, at the moment I'm like kind of everywhere. 49:14 Still sorting it out? 49:15 Yeah, but, I mean, 49:18 I guess in a way 49:21 it'll have a two different effects 49:23 'cause stronger emotionally, stronger, 49:26 you know, more really with my relationship with God. 49:30 But weaker in the sense that like, 49:32 you know, it's just, 49:34 it's a daunting situation that someone has to face and, 49:38 you know, any kind of like reminder of that, 49:41 is not necessarily a good one 49:43 and like the emotions that arise. 49:47 I mean, in a way 49:49 it's gonna make me stronger as a person. 49:51 But it's just, you know, things are always going 49:53 to come back to you 49:54 and that's not necessarily weak, 49:57 but it's just like... 49:58 A reminder of the experience. It's a reminder. 50:00 In other words, it's like, 50:03 you know, it's like that tag 50:05 that just keeps hitting your window 50:08 when the wind blows or like that, 50:09 the chimes that keep blowing every time the storm. 50:11 You hear the chimes, but you'd think it's the storms 50:14 that make me remember the chimes are outside. 50:17 And sometimes life comes and the chimes are beautiful, 50:20 they make wonderful sound, 50:21 but you don't hear them unless the storm comes. 50:24 And God's voice is sometimes like that. 50:26 He's the chimes in the midst of a terrible storm. 50:28 He'll remind you that, I'm... 50:30 "You may not pay attention to Me 50:31 'cause there's no wind blowing 50:33 but now you hear Me and I'm here." 50:34 Yeah. 50:35 Excuse me, the first thing, when Samantha came home, 50:38 the first thing I heard her say is, 50:41 "Now I'm convinced, I want to be a doctor." 50:44 We're looking for a medical school 50:45 because she wants to be a doctor but she says, 50:48 "I am so convinced after seeing these kids, they need help." 50:52 She went around checking their pulse. 50:56 Yeah, tell me about that. 50:58 That's interesting, tell me about that. 50:59 So she says, she really they need her, 51:02 and she's convinced now she wants to be a physician. 51:05 Right, Sweetie? Yes. 51:07 And during the ordeal, I was in the classroom, 51:10 and as I was saying the person 51:11 who laid down next to me, like, 51:16 it was kind of a little obvious 51:19 'cause, you know, his eyes were open, 51:20 he was just like not staring at anything. 51:22 But like I checked his pulse and I checked... 51:26 I didn't know if I was doing it right 51:27 'cause I don't know anything about that. 51:29 And I checked his pulse here, and I didn't feel anything, 51:31 and I checked his pulse here, and I didn't feel anything. 51:34 And then, I'm just like... 51:37 The girl who was right next to Helena, 51:40 she also checked Helena's pulse. 51:42 And she also didn't feel anything, 51:44 but I didn't trust it 'cause I'm like we're kids, 51:46 what do we know about pulsing, 51:47 and I never actually found a pulse 51:49 on a real person before. 51:50 So I'm just like I probably don't know anything. 51:53 But like I told her, 51:55 I don't think so and she's like, "Okay." 52:00 I checked his pulse and, I mean, like, 52:03 just the whole ambulance ride like when I seen them helping, 52:06 there was two of us in the ambulance. 52:09 When I had seen them helping her, keeping her calm, 52:11 knowing what to do, knowing what to... 52:13 And like all of the lingo that they were using, 52:15 I'm just like, not only necessarily 52:18 just to be a smart and understand the lingo. 52:20 But like I have to become a doctor 52:22 and not just because I have to, 52:25 I mean, helping people 52:27 was always my main goal as a doctor. 52:29 It's your goal. 52:30 I mean, I always wanted to open or like work at a free clinic, 52:33 you know, whenever I got situated, 52:34 you know, so I can help people. 52:35 You might even work in the trauma unit 52:37 because you're so composed in the midst of this trauma. 52:39 Yeah, I may so, I'm may, 52:41 I don't know where life is going to take me, 52:44 where God's going to take me. 52:45 But, I mean, 52:46 there's a whole bunch of possibilities 52:48 but all I know for sure 52:49 is that I do want to be a doctor now. 52:51 Now on a different side of this whole incident 52:54 because this was something perpetrated 52:56 by a former student. 53:00 You know, people look back and the media... 53:02 You know, there are three stories 53:03 what the media has found out so far, 53:05 what the person himself knows 53:08 and then the third side of that. 53:11 What would you say to the person 53:12 that maybe knows of someone, 53:14 who maybe is attending a school 53:16 that has the erratic behavior or maybe displaying tendencies 53:20 to be violent and they're not really... 53:23 What would you say to them? 53:25 What kind of reactions should they... 53:26 What are their responsibilities? 53:28 Oh, I don't want to be blunt in saying get them help 53:31 but, you know, where you kind of have to. 53:34 Just be aware of who they are like keep a watch on them 53:38 but don't, like, wait until something happens 53:39 because I mean, 53:41 you don't know when it's going to happen. 53:42 But there's always this point where there's a possibility, 53:44 just like make sure that they talk to someone, 53:47 make sure that there's someone in their life, 53:49 be a friend to them 53:50 because many times people who are, like people 53:54 who, you know, have these tendencies 53:56 or who do these awful tragedies, 53:58 they're the ones who are by themselves. 54:00 They get bullied, they're the ones 54:01 who, you know, they have no friends like 54:05 that's what makes them go off, 54:08 not all the time 54:09 but that's the common factor in all of them 54:12 that they have no friends. 54:13 And it's just... 54:15 And they have traumatic things happening in their lives 54:17 and like with parents. 54:19 And so just be a friend to them, 54:21 don't discriminate against anybody. 54:23 Be there for a person because you don't know exactly 54:27 what's going on, and although they may be crazy, 54:30 and although you don't want to associate yourself 54:32 with someone like that. 54:34 Just be nice, you don't have to be their friend, 54:36 just be nice to them, be cordial. 54:39 You know, make sure 54:40 that if they start displaying things to you, 54:42 make sure that you tell someone. 54:44 Don't be like, 54:46 "Oh, I can take care of this by myself." 54:47 That's good, tell someone. 54:49 Tell someone 54:50 because you don't know, maybe they have... 54:51 other person has more resources to help the situation and to, 54:55 you know, seal the problem. 54:56 Like a teacher. 54:58 Like a teacher, or principal, or guidance counselor, 55:01 or a parent. 55:02 Because sometimes young people think 55:03 I don't want to tattle, 55:05 I don't want to be the talebearer, 55:06 I don't want to be the one that's everybody's saying, 55:08 you know, "Samantha's going to tell, 55:09 Samantha is going to tell." 55:11 But in moments like these, sometimes that's a stopgap, 55:14 that's the way that people find out. 55:17 As you go from this point, 55:19 one final thing you would say to those listening 55:22 to this interview? 55:25 Well, as I was saying before, trust God. 55:29 He will always be there for you. 55:31 Just cherish those around you. 55:36 Where you stand with God, 55:37 like know where your heart lies, 55:41 know where your attentions are, 55:43 don't have anything really kind of distracting you 55:47 from having a relationship with God 55:50 because in the end, 55:51 those are the important things, friends, family, and God. 55:54 God is the most important. That's right. 55:56 But, you know, you still have to have like, 55:59 just put pride aside and just talk to people like, 56:04 you know, have a relationship and just know God, 56:07 that's pretty much it, 56:09 just have a relationship with God. 56:11 Samantha, good to see you growing up so wonderfully. 56:14 We're going to pray for your healing, 56:16 for your recovery. 56:17 And for those of you 56:19 who have been watching this program, 56:21 we just want you to know here at 3ABN, 56:22 we believe in the story of redemption, 56:25 the story of God can heal, 56:28 God can recover, God can restore. 56:30 We're praying still for the families 56:32 that lost their sons and daughters 56:38 at Douglas High School here in Parkland, Florida. 56:41 But we know that as we keep trusting God 56:44 and living each day 56:46 with the reality that He is coming soon, 56:49 the healing will take place in eternity for Samantha. 56:52 And for all of those who are now having to go on 56:55 with that empty space in their lives. 56:59 You know, we always pray and ask God to guide us. 57:01 And our prayers for you is that you will know 57:04 as Samantha has come to discover, 57:06 that Christ is the most important one 57:08 that we need to have in our lives. 57:10 So for those of us here at 3ABN and for the Grady family, 57:14 thank you for taking the time to tune in. 57:16 This is John Lomacang. 57:17 Until we see you again, may the Lord bless you. |
Revised 2018-03-15