Miami

Stoneman Douglas Athletic Director Killed in Shooting

Chris Hixon, married father of two, killed in Stoneman Douglas shooting

A second employee of a Parkland school where 17 people were killed in a mass shooting Wednesday has been confirmed as one of the victims.

A married father of two and the athletic director at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Chris Hixon wasn't shy about jumping in wherever he was needed, said friend and one-time colleague Dianne Sanzari.

Hixon was a member of a Roman Catholic church in Hollywood. The Archdiocese of Miami confirmed his death Thursday.

When a volleyball team needed a fill-in coach, Hixon took over; the same thing happened with the wrestling team, Sanzari said. And when the school needed someone to patrol the campus and monitor threats as a security specialist, Hixon did that, too.

"While he was a security monitor, he did the very best he could to also serve in that athletic administration role," said Sanzari.

It was in that security role that Hixon apparently came within range of the shooter. Sanzari, a retired athletic director, said she was stunned when she heard Hixon had been shot, then cried inconsolably when she found he had been killed.

"He loved his family, he loved his job," she said. "Chris was just amazing."

Earlier, it was confirmed that assistant football coach Aaron Feis was killed in the shooting while shielding students from the gunfire.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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