A coach on Thursday remembered his slain colleagues as heroes who shielded students from bullets fired from an assault weapon in a mass shooting at a Florida high school.
Head football Coach Willis May said his friend and partner-in-coaching, Aaron Feis, died in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Feis is credited with saving students by putting himself between them and the gunman's bullets.
"Coach Feis had pushed her back, jumped in front and was trying to shield her off from the guy and got shot," May said.
May, the head football coach at the school, was in his office and said the gravity of it all came when he heard the principal on the campus speaker.
"He starts hollerin', 'Code red! Code red! Code red!" May said.
"I went out into the hallway to see what was going on. And as I'm going out in the hallway I hear, pop, pop, pop, pop. I hear gunshots and I'm like, 'I don't know where it's coming from,'" May said.
What he didn't know, until later, was what those gunshots took away.
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"Two of the most wonderful people you've ever met. Just big-hearted, kind men, they had a job to do and they were just really good at doing their job."
Chris Hixon, the school's athletic director was also killed. He and Coach Feis were both a part of the school's security detail.
"Coach Feis was, everybody's talking about how he was a hero. He was a hero every day. Chris Hixon was a hero every day," said May.
"They were just doin' what they do. When they heard that I'm sure they were the first ones there," May said.
A day later, and the reality is still sinking in.
"Sad. God, I lost two good friends. Two guys, I very respected and looked forward to talking with every day," May said. "Their families lost their loved ones. Both of them have kids, they're great dads. It's just sad."
