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Apalachee High School community gathers for vigil to honor shooting victims

By Alli Levine
Published  September 7, 2024 12:57am EDT
Apalachee High School shooting
FOX 5 Atlanta

Vigil for those killed in Apalachee High shooting

It's been two days since the tragic shooting took place at Apalachee High. The community gathered on Friday evening to try to process what happened and begin to heal.

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - Hundreds of people in Winder gathered for a vigil to remember those killed at Apalachee High School on Friday night. 

As rain fell, friends, family, neighbors, and strangers huddled under umbrellas and clung to one another as they grieved. 

Together, they remembered the lives of students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, as well as teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie.  

FRIENDS AND FAMILY REMEMBER FALLEN VICTIMS OF APALACHEE HIGH SCHOOL ATTACK:

Dan Beazley drove through the night from Michigan to show his support for the community.  

"This community is in dire need of hope, healing, and love," Beazley told FOX 5 News as he leaned against the nearly ten-foot-tall cross he brought as a symbol of love and light. 

Light prevailing over darkness was the hope of the evening.

Apalachee High School student: 'We hid in the corner'

A growing memorial outside Apalachee High School honors the lives lost as students try to come to grips with surviving Wednesday’s atrocities.

SEE ALSO: Apalachee High School unites in grief after tragic shooting

Speakers from Sen. Raphael Warnock to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith to Rep. Mike Collins urged the crowd to unite in this moment of pain and tragedy.  

"There has never been a more important moment for community than now. The best and most important thing for us to do is to be here for one another," Sen. Warnock told the crowd.  

"I see community. I see people that love one another and care for one another," Sheriff Smith said.  

"Lean in on your community, your friends, and your family," Rep. Collins echoed. 

The unwavering support is a welcome reminder of the strength of their community for Winder-Barrow High School students Danika Linne and Anslyn Rumbaugh. 

"I pray that we are OK. I pray that everybody is going to be OK. I pray that this violence stops," Linne told FOX 5 News.  

The question of how to stop the violence remains, with Rep. Collins pushed back at the idea of a legislative solution and praised efforts to harden schools like Apalachee.  

"I don’t think you can legislate evil and hate away," he said. 

Call for special session to address gun violence

In the wake of the Apalachee High School shooting, calls for a special session to address gun violence has become louder.

SEE ALSO: Georgia lawmakers, activists demand special session on gun control after Apalachee shooting

Meanwhile, Sen. Warnock questioned the burden placed on America's youth.  

"What trauma do we visit on our children if we say that the only thing we can do for you is to tell you how to hide?" he asked the crowd.  

Regardless of the path forward, those in Winder are confident they won't have to walk alone.  

"We all treat each other like family. So, it’s going to be hard for us to heal, but we’re all going to be there for each other," Anslyn Rumbaugh said. 

Funeral services have not yet been publicly announced for the four victims.