Buffalo Community Honors Shooting Victims with Candlelight Vigil

(KNSI) – Three years after a disgruntled patient walked into a Buffalo clinic and opened fire, the community continues to heal.

Thursday’s candlelight vigil is part of that process and begins at Hayes’ Public Pub at 4:00 p.m. and will continue all evening. The flames will flicker in honor of the victims of the mass shooting at the Crossroads Allina Clinic on February 9th, 2021. Lindsay Overbay was a mom of two, a wife and nurse at the clinic. She was killed. Four others were seriously injured.

Many government buildings, homes and stores have been lit in purple for the victims this week.

Mayor Teri Lachermeier says the vigil is part of Buffalo Strong Week, where they try to focus attention on the need for mental health help. “Our three main queues are care, connect and continue because we don’t want that event to be what makes us who we are. We want it to be about the people who live and help one another to get through difficult times in their life.”

Buffalo Strong fundraises for grants to help people get mental health care. Lachermeier says the city has started to turn the corner and is looking to the future. “It’s about all of us really coming together and making something good out of something that maybe won’t label us for the rest of time. So I think we’ve really healed.”

In June 2022, the shooter, Gregory Ulrich, was convicted of second-degree murder and three counts of first-degree assault. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Find out more about the week’s events by clicking here.

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