Candlelight vigil held for Tumon victims

by Jason Salas

Guam - Following yesterday's tragic events over in Tumon, a candlelight ceremony was held at the site where the lives of two people were taken and countless others were forever altered. Guamanians from all walks of life gathered as a community to offer prayers and sympathy - and bring light to an event that's already being called one of the darkest moments in Guam history.

The section of Tumon affectionately dubbed "Pleasure Island" for its bustling stores, thriving restaurants and bars, and up-tempo music, is for the moment, a source of pain for many an island resident, after Tuesday's grisly scene that sent fourteen people to the hospital and took the lives of two women.

Father Eric Forbes led a group candlelight vigil last night at the crash scene outside the ABC Store where Chad Desoto committed his heinous crimes. He announced, "We ask you, Lord, to touch the hearts of the survivors, and all who are caring for them, as well as for the families of the deceased...and to let love rule in our hearts. For the power of love can heal all wounds."

And while social media and real time information allowed Guam to experience the full range of emotions yesterday as events unfolded - shock, disbelief, rage, sorrow - the solemn ceremony gave people a brief moment of what they needed most: peace.

The crowd of dozens of islanders included local dignitaries, students, passersby, and people living in the village, who felt a specific connection with the tragedy. Charles Gere, who attended the vigil with his wife Whitney, told KUAM News, "We live real close by and walk by almost every night and the area is extremely safe and we found out about it this morning and we were just in complete shock. And I don't think we're over it yet. So we just wanted to do whatever we could, and as little as it is, we wanted to show our solidarity with the victims and families."

Young people also showed to display unified support, offer their sympathies to total strangers, and perhaps join as a generation to ensure acts like these don't happen again. Anna Duenas said, "It's kind of an emotional thing; this may have been a response to his peers and how they may have treated him." And one of her peers, Raphael Duay, noted, "Late last night I got a text, and everyone was feeling really sad. So everyone wants to offer their help towards the victims."

The assembly also included scores of Japanese media who arrived on Guam to cover the tragedy, to hopefully bring some sense of understanding to their countrymen.

But the most poignant moment of the vigil was the weather. The very second Fr. Eric addressed the crowd in prayer, a dry night turned into a torrential downpour, which ended as quickly as it started...just moments after the crowd collectively made the sign of the cross and closed. The priest says this wasn't at all coincidence.

"The Chamorro people believe that when it rains, it's a blessing from God," he expressed. "But also in a time of sorrow, the heavens are weeping as well, joining us in our sorrow."