Family of teen killed in Florida shooting from NI
A 14-year-old girl killed in a school shooting in Florida on Valentine’s Day has strong family links to Northern Ireland, it has emerged.
Cara Loughran, a keen Irish dancer, was one of 17 people shot dead when a teenage gunman went on the rampage with an assault rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parklands.
Police say 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz has admitted responsibility for the killings.
Cara’s father is originally from Toomebridge in Co Antrim, where her grandparents and extended family still live.
It has been reported that her older brother Liam witnessed the shootings and survived, but Cara was gunned down.
In the chaos and confusion after the massacre, the teenager’s family could not get in touch with her.
A family friend posted Cara’s photo on Facebook along with a plea for help finding her.
But, hours later, she posted a further heart-breaking message.
It said: “Cara’s parents were given the news no parent ever wants to hear … Please keep her family in your prayers.
"This is too horrible to even begin to process.”
As the debate rages about gun crime and gun control in the US, Cara’s family in Toome are said to be distraught and struggling to cope with what has happened.
The community is rallying around them, with the young girl’s death bringing home to Northern Ireland the pain and anguish caused by the latest mass shooting in America.