![]() ![]() The Blackwell and Muehlberger families continue to fulfill their visions of making the world a better place in their children’s honor, and their friends, peers, and fellow members fo the community still remember them as wonderful young people, who never got the chance to reach adulthood. “They are a representation of two extraordinary people.” “When you look at the obelisks, remember that they are more than just an object,” said Mia Tretta, Dominic’s best friend and survivor of the shooting. See Related: Saugus High Teacher Discusses ‘Keeping On’ Following Deadly Shooting ![]() “Today as we come together once again as a community united, as friends, family, neighbors and peers, as mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, to begin a new journey of healing, a journey of healthy mourning, shared grieving and quiet comfort of solidarity.” Your strength has given us strength,” Dominic’s father, Frank Blackwell said at the time. ![]() On June 4, 2021, the Santa Clarita City Council unveiled two 11-foot obelisks, with murals on each side made from mosaic tiles meant to memorialize 15-year-old Gracie and 14-year-old Dominic. On top of their non-profit efforts, the families spent months lobbying for the addition of the names of Saugus shooting victims to the signage of Central Park, with “In Memoriam of Gracie Muehlberger and Dominic Blackwell” now engraved on the entrance sign. The Blackwell and Muehlberger families each stepped up to found non-profit foundations in hopes of providing support for teens and advocating against unsafe gun sales to help prevent any other school shootings. Music, prayers, and testimonials from the victims and their families filled the night in a moment of unityĮven under the pressure of a global pandemic, the shutting down of businesses and schools and quarantine, the community still took steps forward in memorializing the tragedy. This would become the largest gathering in the history of the Santa Clarita Valley. 17, over 15,000 people gathered at Central Park to hold a vigil, lighting up the sky with blue and silver glow sticks in honor of the victims of the Saugus High shooting. Over the last two years, major strides have been made in memorializing the lives of Gracie and Dominic, but no suicide note has been found, and no concrete motive for Berhow’s decision to injure or kill five other teens on the morning of his 16th birthday has ever been shared with the public.Īs the sun set over the Santa Clarita Valley on Sunday, Nov. See Related: Lawsuit To Crack Down On ‘Ghost Guns’ Prompted By Saugus High ShootingĪ week later, the weapon used in the shooting was determined to be a “ghost gun,” which was assembled from various parts and had no serial number, according to the LASD. He died the next day at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital with his mother at his side, according to a statement issued by the LASD at the time. Three other students were injured before Berhow turned the gun on himself. Two students, 15-year-old Gracie Muehlberger and 14-year-old Dominic Blackwell, were killed as a result of the shooting. 45-caliber semi-automatic ghost handgun from his backpack, and opened fire, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). 14, 2019, 16-year-old Nathaniel Berhow walked into the quad of Saugus High School, pulled a. ![]() On that Thursday, Santa Clarita came together faster than it ever had to in the face of tragedy that would change the fabric of the community forevermore, in an event that would ensure that three children would never come home. Two years later, the impact of the 2019 Saugus High School shooting has left an undeniable mark not only on the families of those who were directly affected but on the community at large. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |