Hundreds of people gathered right outside Texas First Bank in Santa Fe, Texas for a community prayer vigil Friday evening after a shooting that killed 10 people and injured 10 other people at Santa Fe High School.
“I worked at Santa Fe ISD for 19 years, so I know the people in this community very, very well – teachers and the kids,” Robin Russell said. She’s lived in the town for more than three decades.
Liberty Wheler, a freshman at Santa Fe High School, was surrounded by friends throughout the night.
“I lost one of my friends and it’s nice that we all came together,” she said.
Miya Parker, who also attended the high school, said she and her friends were still trying to process the day’s events.
“I’m just glad everyone came together, just sad that a tragedy had to bring everyone together,” Parker said.
Renee Rockers of Texas First Bank graduated from Santa Fe High School and says it’s common for people to always come back and live in the town.
“A lot of people graduate from college, come back and work,” she said. “So we do know a lot of the faculty and staff and kids.”
Gov. Greg Abbott plans to hold community roundtables with various stakeholders as soon as next week and told people at the vigil he wants to find solutions to prevent future tragedies.
“It’s happened too much,” Hunter Berryhill, a graduate of the high school said. “And you really realize it when it hits here, when it hits your home. That’s when you know you have to do something.”
Donations for the Santa Fe Texas Education Foundation can be made at any Texas First Bank location or mailed to P.O. Box 608, Santa Fe, TX 77510. Checks must be payable to Santa Fe Texas Education Foundation.