About a hundred people gathered for a vigil in downtown Iowa City last night to lament the shootings that took place near the University of Iowa campus early Sunday.
After hearing speakers at Trinity Episcopal Church talk about the impacts of gun violence, they marched to the site where the shooting took place to pray and have a moment of silence.
Trinity’s Reverend Nora Boerner says lament, anger, and pain are all legitimate forms of prayer.
“We gather today in common grief for the epidemic of gun violence,” Boerner says. “Be with all those who suffer from the lasting trauma from gun violence and all that it leaves in their wake.”
Temple Hiatt leads the local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which offers community for gun violence survivors.
“Don’t let anyone make you feel like what you experienced is something you just have to get over,” Hiatt says. “Take all the time you need, and when it’s needed, take more time.”
Five people were shot. Three were UI students. One of the victims remains in critical condition, two are stable, and the other two were released from the hospital.
Iowa City police released photos of five persons of interest, asking for the public’s help in identifying them. No arrests have been made.
(By James Kelley, Iowa Public Radio)