A vigil for the victims of the Langley shootings drew around 100 people to Innes Corners Plaza in Langley City to light candles, lay wreaths and hold a moment of silence.
It was a lot more than Alyssa Cappon and her mother Bonnie had thought would show up when they organized the event.
“We didn’t expect so many people to be here, we honestly just thought it was just going to be our families,” Cappon told the crowd.
READ ALSO: Informal vigil to support Langley’s vulnerable in wake of shooting
For her, it was very much a personal issue.
“I, myself, was a homeless person for many years,” Cappon told the Langley Advance Times.
”I’m in recovery from a really severe drug addiction,” she explained. “I turned my life around. So these are my people.”
Candles and flowers were set out in front of signs that read “may the longtime sun shine upon you, all love surround you, please know we care about you” and “let there be peace on earth.”
Cappon said it was “just to show the people that are out here every day, that live out here [on the street], that we support them, that we are thinking about them in this time.”
She was surprised, but also encouraged, by the bigger-than-expected turnout.
“It’s really nice to see there are people there who are willing to support this population,” she remarked.
After the three minutes of silence ended, Cappon thanked those who attended, calling the shootings “a new kind of violence for Langley.”
A woman who sat quietly weeping during the moment of silence didn’t want to give her name, but was willing to have her picture taken, and to be interviewed.
She explained that she always thought of herself as a tough person, but the horror of the shootings had overwhelmed her.
“I’m absolutely broken,” she said, as tears filled her eyes.
More photos from the vigil may be viewed online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Homeless say Langley shootings are escalation of harassment they already endure
READ ALSO: Surveillance images show Langley shooter
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.