HAMPTON, Va. — Faith and city leaders up on the peninsula held a prayer vigil on Sunday, Feb. 5 after last month's shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, where police say a 6-year-old shot first grade teacher Abby Zwerner.
"I cried because I said, 'why would a 6-year-old want or even think of a plan to shoot somebody, to harm somebody?'" said Tiffany Boyle, Newport News Commissioner of the Revenue and the organizer of Sunday's prayer vigil.
Inside the sanctuary of Liberty Live Church, parents, pastors, and Newport News city leaders came together to pray.
"We call upon your name God because we see the impact of gun violence in our communities," said Rev. Kevin Swann of Ivy Baptist Church.
After a series of shootings across Hampton Roads, the most recent impacting local schools was the shooting at Richneck Elementary back in January.
"How in the world can that even happen?" asked Katrina King.
King is one of several parents who came out to the prayer vigil.
She has two boys in elementary school in Suffolk Public Schools and is now worried for their safety at school after what happened at Richneck.
"If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere," said King.
Other parents at the vigil also advocated for safety and security in the classrooms.
"Children follow each other and it was frightening," said Yolanda Hopson.
Hopson is a mother of two Hampton High School students.
While her kids are in high school, she said this shooting still hits home.
"Even though Hampton and Newport News are separate cities, we cross pollinize. We go to school together, we go to church together, and we live together," said Hopson.
The prayer vigil also brought together people of different denominations and faith to show they're all united in wanting to stop the violence among youth.
"Safety is not something that we can just assume. We don't know what's going to happen in the classroom, so we have to come together as a community," said Boyle.
The outpouring of service was to help students, staff and educators cope, while urging parents to engage their children in positive ways.
"It takes a village, and that's what I really want to hone in on," said Boyle.
