Demi Lovato kicked off her new tour recently, and brought up a group of survivors from the Florida school shooting to join her on-stage at one of the shows.
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While performing in San Diego, California on Monday, Lovato stopped the show at one point and said to the crowd, “On February 14, one of the worst mass shootings in American history took place. These students were in school that day. Please welcome them to the stage,” according to The Blast.
At that point she brought Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students Samantha Megan Deitsch, Eden Hebron, Maia Hebron, Mackenzie Marie Chapman, Julius Castillo and Sarah Stricker, and then proceeded to let the audience know how they could donate support to all of the shooting victims.
Thank you for everything you have ever helped me with @ddlovato #staystrong #tellmeyoulovemetour #neveragain #msdstrong pic.twitter.com/GQDULEXYVn
— Sarah//a surviving warrior🖤 (@SarahStricker) February 27, 2018
“Probably one of my favorite parts of the whole concert. Demi brought out 6 survivors from the parkland shooting,” a fan wrote on Twitter.
The small group of Parkland, Florida teens also got a chance to hang out with Lovato back stage and snap some selfies with her.
One of the other survivors of the shooting, Maddy Wilford, recently spoke about her first day back in class, telling reporters, “I’m so grateful to be here.”
During a press conference on Monday, Feb. 26, Wilford added that she and her fellow survivors wouldn’t be here “without those officers and first responders and these amazing doctors.”
She also thanked people from all over the nation who have been sending support to her and the other students, saying, “I definitely wouldn’t be here without it.”
“I love the fact that we’re sticking together through this and I’m just glad that I’m making a full recovery and everything’s been going so smoothly,” Wilford concluded.
Florida high school shooting survivor Maddy Wilford: “I’m so grateful to be here and it wouldn’t be possible without those officers and first responders and these amazing doctors.” https://t.co/O0pXTKVqV6 pic.twitter.com/CXr4nienGA
— ABC News (@ABC) February 26, 2018
Almost two weeks after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire, murdering 17 students and teachers, the survivors of the shooting have returned to resume classes.
Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder, one for each of the people he confessed to killing.
Many survivors of the shooting have taken to speaking out about their experience and are using their new platform to call for a revaluation of gun control laws.
