Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Aaron Feis, an assistant football coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, died Wednesday while trying to shield students from gunfire at the school.

David Furones of the Sun Sentinel confirmed the news. Eagles head coach Willis May said a female student told him Feis, who also served as a security guard at the facility, got in between her and the shooter before pushing her to safety.

MS Douglas Football posted a message of condolence on social media early Thursday:

"Big ol' teddy bear," May told the Sun Sentinel. "Hardcore—he coached hard. Real good line. He did a great job with the [offensive] line. He took pride with working with those guys. Loyalty—I trusted him. He had my back. He worked hard. Just a good man. Loved his family. Loved his brother—just an excellent family man."

Douglas football player Gage Gaynor echoed those remarks.

"He was a great guy," he said. "Everyone loved him. Shame he had to go like this. Always gave his all to making us better. Definitely learned a lot from him."

Faith Karimi and Emanuella Grinberg of CNN reported Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student at the school who'd been expelled for unspecified disciplinary problems, is suspected of carrying out the attack that left 17 people dead.

The CNN report noted the school will remain closed for the rest of the week, with the district making grief counseling available for students and family members.