Vigil for Columbine’s 10th

LITTLETON – Hundreds attended a sunset candlelight vigil on Sunday to honour the 13 victims of the Columbine High School massacre on the eve of its 10th anniversary.

A steady stream of visitors walked slowly around the Columbine Memorial in a park next to the school in Denver’s southern suburbs. Wildflowers or florists’ bouquets rested on each of the tablets bearing the victims’ names.The high school was closed yesterday, the anniversary of the attack, and a private service for families of victims was planned on Monday night at the memorial.Two Columbine students opened fire on the morning of April 20, 1999, killing 12 students and a teacher. About two dozen other people were injured before the gunmen killed themselves.’It is a time for the community to come back together again as they did following the shootings 10 years ago,’ said organiser Kirsten Kreiling, president of the Columbine Memorial Foundation.Families of several of those killed attended but didn’t address the crowd.The Columbine Memorial is a broad oval nestled into a hill that overlooks the school. An outer wall, called the Ring of Healing, includes a fountain and quotes from survivors and others, including former President Bill Clinton.A smaller inner circle, called the Ring of Remembrance, includes tablets devoted to each of the 13 victims and inscriptions written by their families. A ribbon reading ‘Never Forgotten’ is etched on the walkway in the inner circle. – Nampa-AP