Cross country coach Scott Beigel among shooting victims

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Grieving students at Stoneman Douglas High in Florida on Thursday are paying tribute to geography teacher and cross country coach Scott Beigel, who was among the 17 people killed by a shooter at the school Wednesday.

According to CNN, Beigel unlocked a classrom door to allow students to escape a hallway where shots were being fired. Beigel was struck by gunshots and killed before he could safely close and secure the door.

"Mr. Beigel was my hero and he still will forever be my hero," freshman Kelsey Friend said. "I will never forget the actions that he took for me and for the fellow students of the classroom ... I am alive today because of him."