Here’s an account from 12-year-old Nate Holley, who described the scene inside his classroom yesterday as two shooters began firing on their classmates inside STEM School Highlands Ranch in suburban Denver.
Warning: It is very difficult to hear a boy so young describe how willing he was to throw himself in the line of fire.
Young children like Nate Holley should not be thinking about how they can sacrifice themselves to save their classmates in the face of another mass shooting. This is insanity. In fact, it was another student at STEM School Highlands Ranch who rushed one of the shooters. Kendrick Castillo was supposed to graduate high school this week and now his parents are planning a funeral instead of a graduation party.
His father told CNN they are proud of their son’s heroic act.
"One of the kids told me ‘like a flash, he jumped up.’ She said, ‘You know he’s a hero he saved me, he jumped up and he ran. You couldn’t even see how fast he was running, out the door and after this person to tackle him,’” John said.
His parents were not surprised to hear their son ran into a dangerous situation. “We raised him to be good,” John said.
“Because of what he did, others are alive, and I thank God for that. I love him. And he is a hero and always will be. But there’s another part of you that wishes he just turned and ran, retreated, hid. Did something to put himself our of harms way, if that was possible. But we know Kendrick,” John said. “It’s no surprise that if danger was facing him he would approach it and take it on.”
What are we doing, America? When will we admit this is not what the founders could’ve ever considered? It’s time to change and reform our gun laws before more children find themselves in a closet listening to gunfire and thinking of how they might sacrifice their lives to save their classmates. ENOUGH!