Petition: Parkland Student Hero Should Get Full Military Funeral

Peter Wang held doors for fleeing students, staff; another student hero recovers at a local hospital
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 19, 2018 8:11 AM CST
Petition: Parkland Student Hero Should Get Full Military Funeral
People pay homage Friday with flowers and candles for the 17 deceased students and faculty from the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.   (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Amid the grief and anger, stories of inspiration and heroism continue to emerge out of the Parkland school shooting last week, and a petition is now in place to honor one of the late students who helped his classmates escape to safety. The Sun Sentinel reports that the petition on the White House's "We the People" site is calling for a full-honors military funeral for 15-year-old Peter Wang, a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadet who, while in JROTC uniform, was witnessed holding doors open as his classmates, teachers, and staff fled from the gunman's bullets. Peter was killed in the chaos. "Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial," the petition states. The Sun Sentinel notes he'd wanted to attend West Point after graduating from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

As of press time, the petition had about 22,000 signatures; it needs to reach 100,000 by March 18 to receive a response from the White House. The Sun Sentinel notes some attempting to sign were having trouble on the site. Meanwhile, Fox News reports that Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel paid a visit Sunday to yet another Parkland hero: 15-year-old Anthony Borges, who's recovering at a local hospital after being shot multiple times in the back and legs while protecting other students. Classmate Carlos Rodriguez tells ABC News that as he and about 20 students tried to get away from the gunfire by running into a classroom, Anthony went in last and made sure to lock the door, putting himself in the line of fire as he did so. None of his classmates in that room were injured. "He's my hero," dad Royer Borges says of his son, now said to be in stable condition after surgery. (More Parkland school shooting stories.)

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