BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — Hundreds gathered Thursday night to remember the four lives lost one year ago at Apalachee High School.
Two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and two teachers, Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie, were shot and killed inside the school walls at the hands of a mass shooter. Nearly a dozen more were injured.
A vigil was held at the flagpole out in front of the school on Thursday night, where the mother of one of the victims told the crowd to love unconditionally, like her son did.
“It’s heartbreaking. I can’t imagine losing a kid,” parent William Philp said.
One year later, the pain is still there for so many in the Apalachee High School community.
“It’s very weird. It doesn’t feel like it happened long ago,” former Apalachee student Adriana Philp said.
Thursday evening, the school held a vigil on campus. Hundreds attended, including the mother of one of the victims, Mason Schermerhorn.
She told the crowd to “love like Mason.”
Philp told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington that he held his children extra tight during the vigil.
MORE COVERAGE OF APALACHEE ANNIVERSARY:
- Apalachee school shooting 1 year later: Remembering the victims, what’s changed
- ‘Just keep on going:’ Apalachee shooting survivors still taking it one day at a time
- ‘He didn’t count for Barrow County’: Sheriff talks about next steps 1 year after mass shooting
- Former Apalachee football coach highlights mental health after losing assistant coach
“I can’t even talk about it. I can’t even fathom what it’s like to go on and deal with that,” William Philp said.
As the sky began to darken, some faith leaders read scriptures and offered prayers.
There was no talk of guns or metal detectors, but William Philp said safety was at the forefront of his mind.
“It always comes out where communities are strong in the wake of disaster, but I’m just completely hell bent on trying to prevent this from happening again. This just falls through the cracks every time, and it’s unacceptable in 2025,” William Philp said.
Discussions about school safety and gun access continue at Apalachee, all while students prepare to return to class on Friday.
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