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Vigil held for victims of school shooting in SE Michigan

OXFORD, Mich. (WOOD) — The community of Oxford gathered at a church Tuesday for a vigil remembering the victims of the Oxford High School shooting.

Three students were killed and eight were wounded after a 15-year-old opened fire at the Oakland County school.

The community is now rallying together as it mourns for the victims. A service held at Lakepoint Community Church was standing room only, as the crowd filled the lobby and a line of cars parked along the road.

Jesse Holt, a pastor at the church, said he is still processing the tragedy that stunned the community.

“One of my children of the church was one of the victims that had been shot,” Holt said. “You always hear it at someone else’s community and so when you hear it in yours, you have to — at least I’ve had to — set my emotion, my feeling aside for a moment and help those who are grieving and hurting.”

Parents, students and community members gathered at the church.

Watch the full vigil in the player below.

Students who were attending the service shared vivid memories of what happened.

“It was all of the sudden. It was a time between a couple of our classes and then it was just like a frantic frenzy to get out of the building or lockdown for those who were nearby the gunshots,” said student Owen Avey.

“We started stacking desks and we sat in the corner and we didn’t even know what was going on,” said student Sophia Ziegler.

As the community rallies around the school, Holt said prayers and support are needed more than ever.

“You have to have hope that good is going to come out of it and you have to search out that hope,” Holt said.