A candlelight vigil will take place Sunday to honor the five victims of the mass shooting in Hedingham last week. The vigil is one of many that is being held following the horrific events Thursday that sent shockwaves through Raleigh and garnered national news attention.
“[On Thursday], Raleigh joined a growing list of U.S. cities that have experienced the terror and tragedy of a mass shooting,” stated a news release. “The vigil will provide an opportunity for the Raleigh community to come together, mourn the loss of life, and hopefully begin the healing process.”
Funerals and memorial services for the five victims will also be held this week. The victims are James Thompson, 16; Nicole Connors, 53; Susan Karnatz, 49; Mary Beth Marshall, 34; and Raleigh police officer Gabriel Jesús Torres, 29, who was off-duty at the time of the shooting.
The vigil will also “revisit the hard conversations that we must have about how to prevent future incidents of gun violence,” the release stated. Gov. Roy Cooper, Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, and Raleigh-Apex NAACP President Gerald Givens are all slated to speak.
Preventing gun violence was already one of Baldwin’s priorities, one she had been emphasizing in the lead-up to Election Day. Before the mass shooting, Baldwin talked about holding additional gun buyback events and expanding education for gun owners on how to safely store their weapons. Earlier this year, the city also started a partnership with the NAACP and Moms Demand Action “to intervene with people who are at risk of committing, or becoming victims, of gun violence.”
Now, the question on everyone’s minds is whether the city and state will take more aggressive action on gun control. With a Republican-dominated legislature, it seems unlikely, but we can only hope Cooper and Baldwin will take a stand—unlike the dozens of other officials who have let opportunities to crack down on guns slip away.
“We have people who have been physically wounded, people who have lost their lives. And we have people who are emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives,” said Givens in the news release.
“We want everybody to know that they can heal by taking one day at a time. And when they are ready to help, advocate, organize and speak truth to power, we’ll be right by their side.”
WHAT: Vigil to Remember Victims of Hedingham Neighborhood Mass Shooting
WHEN: Sunday, October 23, 2022, 3 PM
WHERE: Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, 2 E South St., Raleigh, NC
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Follow Staff Writer Jasmine Gallup on Twitter or send an email to jgallup@indyweek.com. Comment on this story at backtalk@indyweek.com.
