WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – The deadly school shooting in Georgia is raising painful memories for some people in the Cape Fear area.
Allison McWhorter and her son, Cade McWhorter, reflected on the shooting at New Hanover High School in 2021 that they say could have ended a lot worse.
Cade was just a freshman at the time.
“I saw a bunch of kids running, running in the doors, and I thought it was just some game at first, but then they said there was a shooting,” Cade said. “I did not think it was real.”
Cade said in that moment he froze in place in the school’s cafeteria until the SWAT Team came through and escorted everyone to Williston Middle School. He later learned that a student was shot but survived.
One of his good friends was in the hallway when it happened, though.
“He was like right in the middle and got super trampled, like trampled up,” Cade said. “He actually got blood on his shorts and the police made him give them his shorts for evidence.”
Hearing about the shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia that resulted in two students and two teachers dead reminds Cade of how that day could have ended very differently.
“It makes me feel that we actually got lucky that day that no one died,” Cade said. “But yeah, it’s just still super sad that happened. It’s a constant problem.”
Cade’s mom Allison said she doesn’t wish that call on any parent.
“Knowing the fear that they must have had originally in the not knowing and maybe not hearing from their children. It just made me really sad.”
She said she and her family had a conversation about the Georgia shooting over dinner. It’s a conversation she’s had to have several times now.
“Just the state of what the world is in right now and having been through it at New Hanover, we’ve had to talk about it more because we’ve experienced it,” Allison said. “You want to keep your kids in a bubble. You want to keep them, you know, focused on the positive things and focused on the good things, but they have to be prepared that bad things could also happen. We’ve had to tell them and all situations whether we’re at a concert or shopping and sadly at school. What will you do? Where will you go? What is your plan? You have to have a plan because this unfortunately can happen anywhere.”
It’s through these conversations that Cade has come up with a plan for what to do if he ever finds himself in a similar situation.
“Next time, I would run,” Cade said. “Get away as fast as I can.”
WECT reached out to leaders in New Hanover County Schools.
Interim Superintendent Chris Barnes wrote to us:
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the students and families of Apalachee High School. Student and school safety is of paramount importance every day and is a partnership between parents, students, school staff and law enforcement. Please take time to talk to your students about the important role we all play in keeping schools safe.”
New Hanover County School Board member Stephanie Walker wrote to us:
“My deepest sympathies go out to the Apalachee High School community during this unimaginable time. The loss of two students and two teachers is truly devastating, and I recognize that the path to healing will be a long one. This tragedy underscores the pressing need to tackle gun violence as a community issue. Additionally, we must prioritize mental health resources for our students and ensure our schools are well-equipped with the staff necessary to support them.”
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