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Canadian flags are flying at half-mast across the Okanagan in the wake of the shooting tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, B.C.
It is a solemn symbol of grief that for some local residents is deeply personal.
“Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing will ever be the same for any of them,” said Kelowna resident Shannon Fischer.
Fischer has numerous family members who live in the small northeastern town, including a niece and nephew.
She says both were inside the school, where multiple children and a teacher were killed Tuesday.
“The pit in my stomach that was, ‘Oh no, oh no, oh no.’ The thoughts that go through your head of, ‘Oh no,’” she told Global News as she described what went through her mind when she first heard about the shooting.
“I was terrified. I was absolutely terrified.”
While her family members made it out safe, Fischer was compelled to organize a candlelight vigil in honour of those affected.
“To show solidarity, show support and just let everybody know that, you know what, we are all hurting,” Fischer said.
In Penticton, there is a similar event also being planned.
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It too is being organized by a Penticton woman, who has family living in the grief-stricken town.
“This really struck a chord,” Hope Byrne said. “It came very close to home.”
Byrne’s family includes three children who attend the school.
“Thankfully, the three children are all physically unharmed, although I imagine that the trauma of this incident will be long-lasting,” Byrne said.
Byrne said the collective pain of so many prompted her to create a space and time to come together to grieve and honour the lives lost.
“It’s important for us to lean on each other as a community, to try to provide support and solace to one another,” Byrne said.
Penticton’s candlelight vigil will take place on Sunday at Skaha Lake Park starting at 4:30 p.m.
In Kelowna, residents will also gather on Sunday.
Kelowna’s vigil will take place at Stuart Park starting at 7 p.m.
Those attending are encouraged to bring a candle.
“Let’s rally together as a community,” Fischer said. “Let’s be able to show Tumbler Ridge our support.”
The tragic event left eight people dead, six of them children between the ages of 11 and 13.
The two adults who died were a teacher and the shooter’s mother.
The shooter, identified as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, also died from what police have confirmed to be a self-inflicted wound.
More than two dozen people were injured, at least two critically.
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