Marking one year since a student opened fire at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, killing two classmates, the community came together Saturday for a virtual remembrance event.
While the school initially planned for an in-person gathering, the event was changed to a virtual one due to the coronavirus pandemic. Students produced a 90-minute program featuring music, speakers and inspirational messages called “Unity of Community.”
The Nov. 14, 2019 shooting in the quad of the Santa Clarita school claimed the lives of Gracie Anne Muehlberger, 15, and Dominic Blackwell, 14. Three other teenagers were also wounded before the 16-year-old shooter turned the gun on himself.
The shooting shook the community, with thousands converging on Central Park in Santa Clarita days later to honor those who died and support the school’s students and teachers.
At the school’s entrance Saturday, banners lined the fencing with the words “Saugus Strong.” Nearby, angel wings were painted on a campus wall to pay tribute to Muehlberger and another mural for Blackwell was planned as well.
Students and alumni who spoke with KTLA before the virtual event said they’re just devastated.
“It’s a real melancholy because I have a lot of my formative years behind these gates, and they used to be a safe place for me,” Alex Graboyes, a former student at Saugus High who was visiting the school Saturday, said. “It was a place where I’d play around with my friends, I was in the band and I made so many friends and so many memories.”
Ahead of the tragedy’s anniversary, the school district started a wellness week to provide support and resources to students.
