TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) — Annually a neighborhood group known as “Murder Survivors” hosts a vigil for grieving households.
Typically family members are left to cope with the ache alone, however on Saturday a vigil supplied an area for a few of these grieving Southern Arizonans to return collectively facet by facet.
Typically family members are left to cope with the ache alone, however on Saturday a vigil supplied an area for a few of these grieving Southern Arizonans to return collectively facet by facet.
Each single portrait on the group altar in Kids’s Memorial Park depicts a life lower brief by violent crime.
A few of these souls didn’t even stay lengthy sufficient to turn out to be an grownup – like 16-year-old Angel Lujan.
“April twenty second, he was at a home get together and he was murdered,” stated Beverly Lopez, Angel’s mom.
Lopez says Angel was killed a yr in the past, his case nonetheless unsolved.
“We do not even perceive what occurred or something. He’s beloved and we his household usually are not giving up. We’ll proceed to battle till we get justice regardless of who we’ve got to get by means of,” Lopez stated.
Many of those households on the park Saturday evening have a singular understanding of what Lopez goes by means of.
This annual “Murder Survivors” vigil, a time to mirror and honor their family members.
First responders additionally readily available to indicate these lives misplaced usually are not simply numbers.
“That is necessary to us as a result of it lets us see the human worth and price of those crimes,” stated Detective Matthew O’Connor from the Pima County Sheriff’s Division.
A drum ritual wrapped up the vigil.
The grieving households know others are on the market and experiencing an identical ache.
“To anyone who’s grieving a beloved one as a result of homicide simply know that it’ll be okay,” Lopez stated.
As soon as evening fell the candles burned vivid — a logo of sunshine and hope for these touched by tragedy.
Every member of the family wore a black and white ribbon, black for the loss, white for hope.
