Stockton community continues to gather to pray for mass shooting victims
Nearly a week after a deadly mass shooting at a banquet hall in Stockton, community members gathered Thursday night to honor the victims and support their families through prayer. The memorial at the site continues to grow as people from area churches feel compelled to share their faith and help the city heal."Father, we don't understand what is going on," one community member said, expressing the strong emotions felt by those in attendance."It's a broken heart. I think about all the families. Heartbroken. Just heartbroken," said Rio Coleman, who came to the shooting location to pray.The shooting, which occurred last Saturday, left four people dead and 13 others injured. Among those affected was a young girl who attended the same school as one of the community members' sons, prompting them to join the gathering."We just felt called out to come out here," said Coleman."It's just about coming together as one body standing, unified and standing behind the families, standing behind the city of Stockton," said Isabelle Lessen, another attendee.As the group prayed, some dropped to their knees at the site where the violence occurred, emphasizing the need to address gun violence."We need to rise up and be here and take a stand over the violence and the murder that's taking place in this city," said Lessen."We will no longer be desensitized to murder. Right? When we see it in the movies, we see it all day, and it's like a normal thing, but it will start breaking our hearts. And we start falling on our faces," added Coleman. A single church group did not organize the gathering, but it was a spontaneous act by community members who wanted to pray and pay their respects. Meanwhile, investigators are still searching for those responsible for the shooting.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
