Florida School Shooting: Hundreds of family and friends attend funeral of slain student

World
Europe

Loved ones have said their farewells to one of the bravest victims of the Parkland shooting. Fifteen-year-old Peter Wang died a hero, taking bullets while saving others. CGTN's Nitza Soledad Perez with the heartbreaking story.

Peter Wang was only fifteen-years-old. He died wearing the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps uniform he treasured and holding the door so other students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School could escape from the bullets. He was shot repeatedly as he put others before himself.

The U.S. Army awarded Peter with a posthumous medal for his heroism. In another recognition for his valor, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point posthumously admitted Peter to the class of 2025. That was one of his dreams, attending the prestigious military university

His friends were inconsolable.

XI CHEN FRIEND OF PETER WANG "I've known him through Aaron's side of the family and he was possibly one of the kindest person's I've ever met. I've always said that. Like, out of our group of friends and family, he was the nicest. He was always offered his help and everything. I don't know what to say."

Tears mingled with anger, too many young lives lost.

CAM HOANG SON SURVIVED SHOOTING "I don't want any mom, any parent to have to go through this ever again. Never again and my son went to that school. He was in another building during the shooting. Thank God he made it out alive, but the students want this to be the last mass shooting ever."

The community had filed a petition request with the White House to allow Peter to have a military funeral. The request needed 100,000 signatures but there wasn't enough time.

Patriot Guard Riders, a motorized group of veterans joined the service.

HENRY HYDE US MILITARY VETERAN "Peter is a hero. He sacrificed his life to save other students' lives. That is my example of a hero, give a life for somebody else and probably many of those students he didn't know."

Florida Governor Rick Scott directed the Florida National Guard to honor Peter and other two fallen cadets.

Other surviving students honored Peter, boarding buses and headed to Florida's state capital with a single mission-to urge state lawmakers to take action and consider a sweeping package of gun control laws. One of their weapons is social media and the powerful hashtag: Never Again. Nitza Soledad Perez, CGTN Coral Springs, Florida.