Emotional dad of teen killed at school: 'I don't remember' if I said 'I love you' daughter's last morning

Seventeen were killed and more than a dozen others were injured in the shooting.

ByABC News
February 16, 2018, 1:25 PM

— -- The distraught father of a 14-year-old gunned down in her Florida high school was overcome with emotion as he spoke of her death at a place where "she was supposed to be safe."

"My job is to protect my children," Fred Guttenberg said at a vigil Thursday, his voice cracking. "And I sent my kid to school."

Seventeen people, including students, a teacher and a football coach, lost their lives in the Valentine's Day rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The suspect, a former student, was arrested and has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

PHOTO: A message about grief counseling appears on the electronic signboard at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one day after a shooting at the school left 17 dead in Parkland, Fla. Feb. 15, 2018.
A message about grief counseling appears on the electronic signboard at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one day after a shooting at the school left 17 dead in Parkland, Fla. Feb. 15, 2018.

Jaime Guttenberg, 14, was among the dead.

"In the morning sometimes things get so crazy, she runs out behind and she's like, 'I got to go, Dad, bye.' And I don't always get to say, 'I love you,'" Guttenberg said at the vigil. "I don't remember if I said that to Jaime yesterday morning."

PHOTO: Jaime Guttenberg was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and was killed when former student Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the school Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.
Jaime Guttenberg was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and was killed when former student Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the school Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018.

"Jaime was such a special kid. All of the kids here are. What is unfathomable is Jaime took a bullet and is dead," he said, his voice trembling. "I don't know what I do next. My wife is home. We are broken. But I can tell you -- don't tell me there is no such thing as gun violence."

PHOTO: A student mourns the loss of her friend during a community vigil at Pine Trails Park, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Parkland, Fla., for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
A student mourns the loss of her friend during a community vigil at Pine Trails Park, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, in Parkland, Fla., for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
PHOTO: From left, Jalina Kohen and Brianna Hall join hundreds of community members at a prayer vigil at Parkridge Church, in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 15, 2018.
From left, Jalina Kohen and Brianna Hall join hundreds of community members at a prayer vigil at Parkridge Church, in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 15, 2018.

To the children at the vigil, Guttenberg said, "When you look at us parents like we are crazy, like we are trying too hard to protect you, like we are trying too hard to tell you what not to do ... just remember it's because we love you and we never want to go through the tragedy of losing you."

To the parents, he said, "love your kids, hold your kids, kiss your kids. And don't ever, ever miss the chance to tell them how much you love them."

PHOTO: Students attend a prayer service at Parkridge Church in Coral Springs, Fla., a day after a mass shooting occurred at the nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Feb. 15, 2018.
Students attend a prayer service at Parkridge Church in Coral Springs, Fla., a day after a mass shooting occurred at the nearby Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Feb. 15, 2018.
PHOTO: People comfort each other at a public memorial for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 16, 2018.
People comfort each other at a public memorial for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Feb. 16, 2018.