The older sibling of one of the three 9-year-old victims of the Nashville school massacre cried out in a heartbreaking response to the tragic event while at a vigil Monday evening for the victims of the senseless attack.
The older sister of Evelyn Dieckhaus, a third-grade student that was shot during the massacre at The Covenant School, issued the statement while attending the vigil, hosted at the Woodmont Christian Church, for the victims of the senseless attack. Dieckhaus, along with two other kids and a group of three adults, were murdered by shooting at The Covenant school, which is known to be affiliated with the conservative evangelical Presbyterian Church in America.
“I don’t want to be an only child,” cried the child forlornly.
Sarah Drury, a local woman who stated that she had taught both of the Dieckhaus sisted in Sunday school for the Woodmont Christian Church, took the time to write out a tribute online for Evelyn.
“One of the 9-year-old victims of the Nashville school shooting goes to my church,” stated the Sunday School teacher at Woodmont Christ Church, in her written tribute. “Her name is Evelyn Dieckhaus. She was adorable. I taught her equally angelic big sister in Sunday school.”
“Her mom Katy volunteered in our children’s ministry … such a sweet Christian family,” she went on to state. “We had a prayer vigil tonight at our church. We are, the whole city, saturated in grief. Now. It’s time to marry prayer and grief with action.”
Covenant school expressed that it was “shattered” by the shooting events, which police state was committed by a woman that claims to identify as a man.
“Our community is heartbroken. We are grieving tremendous loss and are in shock coming out of the terror that shattered our school and church. We are focused on loving our students, our families, our faculty and staff and beginning the process of healing,” the school stated in a release.
A number of other churches all over the city also held their vigil in order to pray for the families of those directly impacted by the events of the shooting.
“It has been a hard day,” stated Nathan Parker, the senior pastor of Woodmont Baptist Church. “We are sad. Sad for the families who came rushing to our church. Sad for those whose lives will never be the same because of the trauma inflicted on them. Sad because we live in a world broken by sin, suffering, and death.”
The attack took place the very same week that a number of transgender activists had scheduled to carry out a “Day of Vengeance.” The group –run in part by a former Democratic staffer — also gathered money specifically for the purchase of and training in firearms while also specifically calling for action in the city of Nashville.
Police officials, who ended up discovering a “manifesto” authored by the suspected shooter, have expressed that they are working under the assumption of a motive, but have not publically released what said motive is.
