Florida Community Holds Candlelight Vigil for School Shooting Victims

Thousands of people gathered for a candlelight vigil in Parkland, Florida on Thursday evening for [...]

By Libby Birk

Thousands of people gathered for a candlelight vigil in Parkland, Florida on Thursday evening for the victims of a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 students and adults dead.

The crowd gathered at the Parkland Amphitheater for prayer, song and uplifting speeches from leaders in the area. A few protesters showed up with signs that read "enough is enough" and "no more guns," CNN reports.

At one point, those in attendance broke out into a chant of "no more guns."

Broward Cuunty Sheriff Scott Israel spoke at the vigil, promising the crowd there will be "common-sense gun laws" in the area, WSFA 12 reports.

Fred Guttenberg, the father of 14-year-old victim Jaime Guttenberg, spoke not from a prepared speech but from his raw grief at the vigil.

"This makes no sense. This is impossible. My girl, my 14-year-old baby," he said. "I sent her to school yesterday. She was supposed to be safe. My job is to protect my children, and I send my kids to school. In the morning, sometimes, things get so crazy. She runs out and goes, 'I gotta go, Dad. Bye.' And I don't always get to say I love you. I don't remember if I said that to Jaime yesterday morning.

Guttenberg spoke for three minutes, according to the Palm Beach Post, with tears streaming down faces in the audience throughout. He closed by thanking the people of Parkland for coming together in a powerful expression of support.

Religious leaders, government officials, school employees and other public officials came out to the amphitheater at Pine Trails Park, including about a dozen people from the Miami Dolphins.

I'm just continuing to show support to the families and community here that has been affected by this and spread love," said wide receiver Jarvis Landry. "I have a 1-year-old, and it's hard to think about. A lot of these kids were 13 or 14 years old, and you couldn't imagine it. To lose your kids, something like this, it's hard to speak about."

People sent balloons into the sky with messages to their fallen friends. They joined hands for a moment of silence. They prayed in different languages and different faiths.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, a 2007 graduate of Douglas, also gave a tearful speech.

"I am only who I am because of this community," Rizzo said, in part. "And I just want all of you to know how proud I am to be a part of this community. I want you to know that you're not alone in your grief. We're all grieving with you. The entire country is grieving with you. So whatever comfort I can give, I will give. Whatever support I can offer to our students, teachers, coaches and families and first responders, you'll have it."

Onstage there were 17 angel figures, representing the 14 children and three adults who were slain. Teenagers came through leaving flowers and lighting candles as they paused for a moment at someone they knew.

Toward the end of the vigil, attendees were urged to leave a Post-It note on one of the three walls surrounding the venue with a good deed they planned to do. Organizers wanted to capture the raw emotion of the night and make sure people stayed committed to kindness toward their neighbors.

Nikolas Cruz, the suspected gunman, was charged Thursday with 17 counts of premeditated murder. He reportedly confessed to the crimes and is being held in Broward County Jail without bond. See his arrest report here.

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