UPDATE @ 10:09 p.m.: About 50 people came to the community vigil to pray for the four students injured in the Madison High School shooting and for the student accused of firing the gun that caused those injuries.
“These are difficult days and we are at a loss in so many ways,” said Bishop Mark Monroe, president of the Middletown Ministerial Alliance. “How to respond, what to say, and most importantly, what to do.”
Monroe said everyone should be thankful because the shooting “could have been much worse.” He said he was also thankful students at Middletown High School made the right decision.
He was referring to the incident that occurred the same day as the Madison shooting, when Middletown High School officials found a loaded gun in the backpack of a freshman student. A student at the high school tipped off his teacher about the gun.
Tonight’s prayer vigil at the First Presbyterian Church, on Central Avenue in Middletown, lasted about 25 minutes and included scripture readings and hymns.
Melody Kay, of Franklin, said, “I’m originally from Middletown, but I just felt that I needed to be here, I needed to be here, even though my children are adults you know. It still affects us all regardless of race, color, creed, you never know, it doesn’t matter.
“Blood doesn’t have anybody’s name on it so it’s just better for us to come together, that way we can heal as a community, nation, regardless of where it’s at, you never know where it’s going to hit,” she said.
Kay said she wished more people would’ve come out, adding, “but it only takes one or two to pray anyway.”
Pastor Carrie Jena, of the Gathering in downtown Middletown, said at times like these, the best thing to do is to come together and pray. Jena said her son, Miles, a junior at Fenwick high, knows several Madison students and some of the youth in her church live in Madison Twp.
“It’s wonderful when you have a cross-section of the community coming together for one need,” she said.
FIRST REPORT
Area spiritual leaders are about to begin a prayer vigil for the community to come together in the aftermath of the Madison High School shooting.
Those leaders are hoping students, their families, faculty, staff and the greater community will rely on faith to get them through.
The service at First Presbyterian Church was set to begin at 6:30 p.m. Those attending will be encouraged to write prayers on strips of cloth, which will be attached to a message board.
Today was the first full day back to school for students, faculty and staff since Monday’s shooting that left two students wounded and two others injured. James Austin Hancock, 14, an eighth-grader, has pleaded not guilty to several criminal charges that have been filed in county juvenile court.
“We’re bringing together the community to lift up our prayers, lift up the families, and the first responders, and the teachers, and the administrators of the school,” said Michael Isaacs, pastor at First Presbyterian.
Click any of the following links for extensive, in-depth coverage:
- THE LATEST INFORMATION…WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- MADISON STUDENTS RETURN AFTER SCHOOL SHOOTING
- THE SHOOTING SUSPECT
- THE VICTIMS
- A HERO EMERGES IN MADISON HIGH SHOOTING
- ARMED EDUCATORS IN LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HOW TO TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN
- EXTRA PATROLS AT LOCAL SCHOOLS
- WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT MADISON LOCAL SCHOOLS
To get news and weather updates on your smartphone, download the WHIO mobile apps here.
