LDS Church releases details on two Florida shooting victims
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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Two LDS girls were among the victims in the Florida school shooting, LDS Church officials said. One of the girls died and the other is seriously injured.
Alaina Petty, age 14, died from her injuries after being shot Wednesday at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, LDS Church officials confirmed in an emailed statement Thursday.
Madeleine Wilford, age 17, is seriously injured and receiving medical treatment at a local hospital. KSL.com reports both teens are members of the Coral Springs Ward of the Coral Springs Florida Stake.
“To all of the victims and their loved ones, we extend our love,” the statement said. “These are hours filled with grief, emptiness and a terrible sense of loss. We unite our prayers with millions of others who are mourning and praying for them.”
Madeleine, who family and friends refer to as “Maddy,” had a bullet go through her back “crushing her ribs, piercing through her right lung and exiting through her stomach,” Maddy’s mom Missy Cantrell Wilford said on Facebook, according to an update on a GoFundMe page. The surgeons don’t know how many bullets hit Maddy but “she is alive, which is a miracle,” she added.
Maddy will have surgery today to add permanent titanium plates to her ribs, according to her mom’s post.
The GoFundMe page for Maddy was started by a classmate and has raised almost $16,000 in less than a day.