Vigil held for victims of Columbine shooting for 25th anniversary

Описание: Victims of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the massacre that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.

As small candles flickered on 13 empty chairs, to represent the 13 victims, short biographies of Columbine students Rachel Scott, Kyle Velasquez and Corey DePooter and the other victims were read one by one.

After each, the crowd of about 150 people replied together “never forgotten” and a bell tolled.

The youngest killed in the attack that has inspired dozens of copy cat shootings was Steven Curnow, 14.

The oldest was teacher Dave Sanders, 47, who shepherded students out of the cafeteria to safety and was shot as he tried to get students upstairs into classrooms.

The others killed were Cassie Bernall, Kelly Fleming, Matt Kechter, Daniel Mauser, Dan Rohrbaugh, Isaiah Shoels, John Tomlin and Lauren Townsend.

The gathering, set up by advocates including gun safety organizations, was the main public event marking Saturday’s anniversary, which is more subdued than previous milestone years.

In addition to remembering those killed, the vigil at a church in Denver also drew attention to those who were wounded and those who survived the shooting but suffered trauma.

Daniel Mauser’s father, Tom Mauser, decided to set up the vigil after learning school officials did not plan to organize a large community event as they did on the 20th anniversary.

Mauser, who became a gun safety advocate after the shooting, urged the crowd of about 150 people gathered at a church across from the state capitol never to forget the victims of Columbine and to take some kind of action to reduce gun violence.

“We ask you to never forget, never forget the victims of Columbine. The slain, the injured, the traumatized and their families,” said Mauser, wearing his son’s sneakers, a tradition he reserves for special occasions.

Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who began campaigning for gun safety after she was nearly killed in a mass shooting, attended, and spoke about her long recovery, drawing a comparison to the small steps needed to make change in the world.

“Change doesn’t happen overnight, and we can’t do it alone. Join me, let’s move ahead together,” she said.