A survivor of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has some strong words against his teacher after he allegedly locked him and several other students out of a classroom amid the deadly attack.
The junior student, identified as Josh Gallagher, took to Twitter and posted a scathing message against his math teacher, Jim Gard.
In his lengthy tweet, the teenager bluntly called his teacher an “opportunist” and a “coward” after allegedly abandoning them out in the hallway as Nikolas Cruz opened fire.
Gallagher claimed he was in Gard’s class when the fire alarm suddenly went off around 2:20 p.m. Thinking it was a fire drill, the students, along with their teacher, filed out of the room to evacuate.
Apparently, that was when they heard gunshots being fired. At that moment, students started to retreat back to their classroom. However, not all of them managed to get in.
Gallagher said that he and 15 other students rushed back to Gard’s classroom only to find out that the door was already locked. The group of students was left out in the hallway as the shootout took place, leaving them in a vulnerable position.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, Gallagher and the other students ducked in the hallways for four minutes. Fearing for his life, the outspoken survivor revealed he immediately called his father, who also happens to be a first responder.
Panic during Parkland shooting causes rift between student and teacher https://t.co/qthdI6JqGI
— South Florida Sun Sentinel (@SunSentinel) March 3, 2018
After a few more minutes, another teacher, who he wasn’t seen before, opened the door and let them in.
Gallagher called out Gard for being a “coward” and “selfish.” He claimed that the math teacher ran back to his classroom without checking if all of his students were accounted for.
He even accused Gard of taking advantage of the incident to make him look like a hero in the media. Gallagher said that while the shooting was taking place, Gard called news station to inform them about it, Fox News reported.
“He has re-victimized the students he left out of his class by calling himself a hero.”
Im a victim of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Please read my story below as I present the truth about a teacher Mr. Gard (Jim Gard) who calls himself a hero, and how the media portrayed him as hero when in reality he is the opposite. pic.twitter.com/MH70M6Sqhe
— Josh Gallagher// MSD STRONG (@JoshBGallagher) March 1, 2018
Meanwhile, Gard admitted that he did not let Gallagher and the other students in. However, he pointed out that he had to lock the door as part of protocol. Apparently, it was mandated by the rules during a fire drill.
Gard also claimed that he checked back down the hall and saw no one around.
“I looked back down the hall and no one was around — no one. You have to close the door. That’s protocol. We have no choice.”
