Hero Coach And Freshman Who Died Protecting Others In Florida Massacre

A football coach and a 14-year-old freshman were among the 17 people killed in a mass shooting at a South Florida high school Wednesday.

More than a dozen others were injured in the Valentine's Day rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Here is what we know about the victims: 

Aaron Feis

School football coach and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate Aaron Feis was one of the 17 killed, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said.

"When Aaron Feis died ... he did it protecting others, guarantee that because that's who Aaron Feis was," Israel told reporters. "He was one of the greatest people I knew. He was a phenomenal man."

The sheriff described Feis as a beloved football coach who was well-known in the local community.

"I coached with him. My two boys played for him," Israel said. "The kids in this community loved him, adored him."

Ryan Mackman of West Palm Beach said he grew up in Parkland and graduated with Feis from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 1999.

"I never thought something like this could happen," Mackman, now 37, told ABC News in a telephone interview Thursday. "The whole community is just stunned."

Mackman said he heard from other former classmates who were close with Feis that he was apparently shot while shielding students from the spray of bullets.

"He was always a really good guy," Mackman said. "But the fact that he died saving lives, the guy's a hero. There's no two ways about it. He was always a giving guy, he was always there for people, he had a big heart. That showed all the way to the end."

The school's football team wrote on Twitter, "He died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories."