Reporter's notebook: From Astros spring training to school shooting
PARKLAND, Florida (KTRK) -- I knew it was bad when the news desk called.
"We need you to leave Astros spring training and get on the road for a school shooting," I heard over the phone.
Photojournalist Francisco Barragan and I raced towards Parkland, Florida and Douglas High School.
When we arrived, we saw parents running to find their children. One father didn't have any shoes. He stood in his socks waiting.
Another parent told us he got a series of text messages and immediately feared the worst. A young student passed us telling her dad, "We thought it was a drill."
The reunions were emotional and I kept reminding myself, these are the survivors. So many other families faced an unspeakable reality.
People have asked me about the shift to news for the day. We just tried to show viewers what was happening, while being respectful to the people who had been through a terrible experience.
Tonight we talked with a student who was in the school when the shooter started his rampage. We think his story is particularly important: brave staff members at the school who saved students from the worst.
My heart breaks for these families. I want badly to do them justice and I hope everyone hears the message from the student who survived: "We cannot let this happen again."
WATCH: Parents rush to find their children after Florida shooting
