Ohio University students held a vigil Thursday evening in remembrance of the second anniversary of the shooting at Chardon High School.
Nearly 30 people huddled together against the harsh wind to protect their candles from blowing out.
Seven candles were lit and placed on the Athens Civil War Monument.
The first three lit were for Danny Parmertor, 16; Russell King Jr., 17; and Demetrius Hewlin, 16, who were killed Feb. 27, 2012 by another Chardon High School student.
Three more were lit for those injured by the shooter, including Nick Walczak, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, and remains paralyzed from injuries he sustained.
The seventh candle was lit for Russell King Sr., who was found dead this morning in his home. No foul play is expected, Geauga County Prosecutor James Flaiz told
The Plain Dealer. Some OU students attributed his death to grief over the loss of his son.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move on, but I do the best I can to move forward,” said Kelsey Crowley, residence life senator and Chardon High School graduate, who organized the event.
Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones, who has ties to the Chardon community, was also in attendance.
In a tweet earlier in the day, Hall-Jones said her mother was born in Chardon, her grandmother was a teacher at the high school and her great-grandfather was a doctor in the community.
Despite being in Athens at the time of the shooting, Hall-Jones said she was comforted by the sense of community among Chardon graduates at OU, and how they came together to comfort each other.
There are 332 students from Geauga County, where Chardon is located, for this academic year, according to a Fall 2013 enrollment report, the most current data available.
“This is what family is,” Hall-Jones said. “This is what a beautiful town Chardon is.”
Crowley asked attendees to put a purpose to their grief by performing acts of kindness each day in remembrance of those who lost their lives two years ago.
“We used the saying ‘we are one heartbeat’ at the time (of the shooting) and we still are,” Crowley said.
@carolinebartels
cb536511@ohiou.edu
