Dwyane Wade Gives Surprise Speech at Stoneman Douglas High School Graduation

Dwyane Wade was Marjory Stoneman High School's surprise guest speaker during its graduation ceremony. In his speech, he recalled the first time he visited the school after the tragic mass shooting last year.

Dwyane Wade surprised the graduates of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when he showed up as their guest speaker during their graduation ceremony.

REMEMBERING THE TRAGIC DAY

Wade, who’s a frequent visitor of the school since its tragic mass shooting last year was welcomed with shouts and cheers as he addressed the graduating body. In his speech which was uploaded on Twitter, the NBA star spoke of the first time he set foot in the school three weeks after the shooting and what he felt at the time.

“I remember being so nervous to see and meet everybody,” he said. “What would I say? I mean, I grew up in the inner city of Chicago and I’ve experienced a lot of awful things, but I’ve never experienced anything to the magnitude that you guys have just experienced.”

"I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’ve never heard this kind of silence before in my life.'”

He also recalled the deafening silence that greeted him as he walked the halls of the campus which lost 17 lives.

“I remember walking to the school, and I remember hearing absolutely nothing. I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’ve never heard this kind of silence before in my life.'”

It was Valentine’s Day last year when a 19-year-old former student of Marjory opened fire on students and teachers claiming the lives of 17 children and adults.

A VICTIM CLOSE TO WADE'S HEART

The tragic event in February 2018 was especially significant to Wade who found out one of the victims, 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver was a fan of his. He wore Wade’s team’s jersey when he was buried. This prompted the basketball player to tweet his sentiments then.

"You're about to make me cry this afternoon," he wrote.

The deputy who was found to have neglected his duties at the time of the incident was arrested.

VALENTINE'S DAY MASSACRE

It was Valentine’s Day last year when a 19-year-old former student of Marjory opened fire on students and teachers claiming the lives of 17 children and adults. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz had reportedly been expelled due to disciplinary reasons prior to the incident. It was believed he set off the school’s fire alarm system to draw out more people to achieve a greater number of casualties. Cruz was charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

DEPUTY ARRESTED FOR NEGLIGENCE

In relation to the shooting, recent headlines reveal the deputy who was found to have neglected his duties at the time of the incident was arrested and faces 96 years of jail time if convicted. Ex-MSD Deputy Scot Peterson became the highlight of an investigation when it was discovered he failed to take action during the shooting. He even told other officers who arrived in the scene to keep away from the building. Parents of victims accused him of being a coward.

Peterson's lawyer, during the bond hearing, insisted his client was wrongly accused and was not negligent. He also absolved him of responsibility in the victims' deaths claiming Paterson was not a caregiver and was not liable to those children.