The father of a Florida school shooting victim rued his inability to save her before vowing to fight so other teens won’t die the same way.
The heartbroken father of a 14-year-old Florida school shooting victim rued his inability to save her before vowing to fight so other teens won’t die the same way.
Dr. Ilan Alhadeff, addressing the crowd at his slain daughter’s Friday funeral, asked all the mourners to join him in the battle to keep U. S. schools safe from senseless violence.
“I couldn’t protect you, but we are going to protect everyone going forward,” the doctor said, addressing his lost daughter directly. “We’ll do what we can. Alyssa, we love you so much.”
The overflow audience spilled outside the Star of David Funeral Home, where the murder victim’s parents spoke alongside a photo collage showing a beaming Alyssa with family and friends.
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“There’s a knife stabbed in my heart,” said mom Lori Alhadeff, who one day earlier howled in anguish at President Trump to do something about the national plague of school shootings.
“I wish I could have taken those bullets for you, Alyssa,” the inconsolable parent continued. “I would’ve protected you.”
The latest mass school shooting came more than five years after the December 2012 slaughter of 20 first-graders and six staffers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Ilan Alhadeff urged anyone in a position to help to do something in the wake of the Wednesday attack that left 17 dead at a Parkland, Fla., high school.
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“To all the folks out there (who) are able to, may our schools get strong and safe,” said Ilan Alhadeff. “Protect all of these kids. Make our community safe.”
The funeral program paid tribute to the Queens-born victim, who died barely two months short of her 15th birthday. “In Loving Memory Alyssa Miriam Alhadeff” read the cover, accompanied by a photo of the smiling teen.
Tears flowed as Lori Alhadeff remembered her child as an overachiever, a dedicated soccer player and a strong personality who always got her way.
“Alyssa had a zest for life,” the mother recalled. “When Alyssa wanted something, she found a way to get it. Nothing would stop her.”
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The crowd shared a bittersweet laugh as Lori recounted a typical chat with Alyssa.
“Why Mom? Why? Why can’t I go to the mall?” she said. “OK, Alyssa — you can go.”
Ilan Alhadeff echoed his wife’s warm memories of their child.
“I’m so proud of everything she did,” he said. “She loved everyone. Alyssa, look at all this love here.”
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Edgar Sandoval reporting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
