Phoenix Church's Vigil Honors El Paso, Dayton Shooting Victims

PHOENIX, AZ — In the aftermath of the Dayton and El Paso mass shootings less than 24 hours apart, a Phoenix church stepped forward to hold last night’s candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the two tragedies. The latest numbers representing people and lives are El Paso at 20 people killed, two dozen injured, and Dayton at 9 people killed, 26 injured. The El Paso suspect was arrested on charges of capital murder, while the Dayton suspect was shot by police and died at the scene.

In an effort to help begin the healing process, the First United Church of Christ of Phoenix held a candlelight vigil at their downtown Phoenix location Sunday evening. The invitation on the church’s Facebook page said, “The intent of tonight’s vigil is to provide a space for faith leaders to guide and lend a healing heart during these moments of violence, grief and shock. We are gathering together to collectively mourn the tragedy of all of those directly impacted to those indirectly impacted and for the soul of our country.”

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego spoke at the vigil. “There is no place for hate in Phoenix. There is no place for hate in Arizona,” she said, as reported by azfamily.com.

Other vigil speakers included members of Moms Demand Action and March for Our Lives Arizona, who read the names of victims and locations of the past three years’ mass shootings.

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz of Arizona Jews for Justice also spoke, telling attendees he first hesitated when he was invited to speak at the vigil. “What more is there to say?” was his first thought. “And then I realized that’s what we call in Hebrew ‘yetzer hara,’ the evil spirit within me. That’s how hate wins – when it exhausts us. We come here together because we dare not accept that mass shootings are acceptable,” he said, as reported by the Phoenix New Times.

Accordingly, the First United Church of Christ of Phoenix’s invitation expressed that love is the key now. “We need to start a love revolution, and it can begin together with all of us this evening.”