12 college students, trainer killed in Columbine faculty capturing remembered at twenty fifth anniversary vigil

DENVER — A lady who wrote to God in her diaries, a boy with studying disabilities who was simply studying to love who he was and a teen who would spend each free minute fishing have been among the many 13 victims of the Columbine Excessive Faculty capturing remembered throughout a vigil Friday on the eve of the twenty fifth anniversary of the capturing that was the worst the nation had seen on the time.

As small candles flickered on 13 empty chairs, brief biographies of Columbine college students Rachel Scott, Kyle Velasquez and Corey DePooter and the opposite victims have been learn one after the other. After every, the group of about 150 folks replied collectively “by no means forgotten” and a bell tolled.

The youngest killed within the assault that has impressed dozens of copy cat shootings was Steven Curnow, 14. The oldest was trainer Dave Sanders, 47, who shepherded college students out of the cafeteria to security and was shot as he tried to get college students upstairs into school rooms.

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

Sanders’ daughter, Coni Sanders, mentioned her father modified the world eternally by saving a whole lot of scholars.

“The children that he saved now have youngsters and people youngsters can have youngsters so generations from now folks will know they exist due to his bravery,” she mentioned earlier than the ceremony started.

The gathering, arrange by advocates together with gun security organizations, was the principle public occasion marking Saturday’s anniversary, which is extra subdued than earlier milestone years. Along with remembering these killed, the vigil at a church close to the state Capitol additionally drew consideration to those that have been wounded and people who survived the capturing however suffered trauma.

Daniel Mauser’s father, Tom Mauser, determined to arrange the vigil after studying faculty officers didn’t plan to arrange a big neighborhood occasion as they did on the twentieth anniversary.

Mauser, who turned a gun security advocate after the capturing, urged the group of about 150 folks gathered at a church throughout from the state Capitol by no means to neglect the victims of Columbine and to take some sort of motion to scale back gun violence.

“And most significantly we ask you to always remember, always remember the victims of Columbine. The slain, the injured, the traumatized and their households. And particularly always remember those that misplaced their lives,” mentioned Mauser, sporting his son’s sneakers, a convention he reserves for particular events.

President Joe Biden, in an announcement issued Saturday, mentioned his administration has taken quite a few steps to attempt to curb the “mindless violence” that has shattered some 400 colleges since Columbine, together with the creation of the White Home Workplace of Gun Violence Prevention.

“I’ve met with numerous households who’ve misplaced family members due to gun violence. Their message is all the time the identical: do one thing,” the assertion mentioned. “My administration will proceed taking motion, however Congress should do their half. We’d like common background checks, a nationwide crimson flag regulation, and we should ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”

Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who started campaigning for gun security after she was almost killed in a mass capturing, attended and spoke about her lengthy restoration, drawing a comparability to the small steps wanted to make change on the planet.

“Change does not occur in a single day, and we won’t do it alone. Be a part of me. Let’s transfer forward collectively,” she mentioned, drawing a standing standing ovation.

Nathan Hochhalter, whose sister Anne Marie was paralyzed after she was shot at Columbine, spoke about being trapped in a classroom on the faculty with about 30 college students as they heard gunfire close by. They have been rescued about 4 hours later by SWAT officers who he mentioned frisked them 5 instances. Six months later, his mom, who had bipolar dysfunction, took her personal life after asking to have a look at a gun in a pawnshop and capturing herself there.

“I simply need to use this second to let everybody know that it is OK to ask for assist, no matter your state of affairs is whether or not, both as a survivor 25 years later or somebody scuffling with any a part of their life. These items are available in waves and so they can hit you whenever you least count on it. You need to all know that we’re all right here for you and that you just’re not alone,” Hochhalter mentioned.