Jim GrantRia White and her 14-year-old daughter Sara embrace during a group prayer this afternoon for the victims and families of the Connecticut school shooting.
About 30 people turned out for a prayer vigil on Saturday afternoon, marking Carson City's troubled reaction and grieving after the Connecticut carnage by a gunman Friday that claimed the lives of 28 people in a community there.
The event for mourning was held downtown, beginning at the Capitol at 3:30 p.m., and was hosted by two organizations combating violence among and against youth. They are Fighters Against Child Abuse and Fighters Against Bullying.
The gunman, Adam Lanza, killed 20 children and seven adults in Newtown, Conn., before taking his own life. He killed his mother at their home, then went to an elementary school and gunned down 26 people, 20 of them youngsters, before committing suicide.
"Even though the event happened in Connecticut, it still has an impact on our community and youth," said Jackie Killian, vice president and spokesperson for the two groups hosting Carson City's vigil.
She said what happened in Connecticut might have been avoided through education about how to handle violent situations.
On Wednesday, the organization conducted an educational seminar at Carson High School for 140 teachers and educators on issues involving bullying.
Killian said the organizations are based in Carson City but have followers in other regions. She and her associates have a martial arts gym called Carson City Martial Arts Fight 4 Christ MMA on Highway 50 East.