Parkland mom and son survive gunmen one year apart

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Just over a year ago, Broward teacher Annika Dean was waiting for her luggage at the Fort Lauderdale airport when a gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area, killing five people and wounding six others.

Dean dove to the ground next to a luggage cart and prayed fervently that her two sons would not be left without a mother. A stranger dropped down and lay on top of her, whispering that he would protect her. Miraculously, they both survived.

Dean was at work at nearby Royal Palm Elementary when her 14-year-old son Austin Foote texted her from Douglas High to say that there was an active shooter drill on campus. Dean was immediately confused. As a teacher she had gone through active shooter trainings, which she said feel realistic because the person pretending to be the gunman shoots blanks. But she didn’t think students participated in the drills.

In his messages, Austin told Dean that he’d been outside for a fire drill when he heard what sounded like gunfire. He said people had started running and screaming and that he’d taken shelter in a nearby Junior ROTC classroom. Then, a moment later, Austin sent another text message. It’s not a drill, he told his mother, it’s real.

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