‘A Light to the World’: University of Virginia Pays Tribute to Shooting Victims
The University of Virginia is remembering the victims of last week’s shooting at a campus baseball game during which two police officers were shot and wounded.
On Tuesday, the school said that it will raise the memorial’s lighting outside the field, named after former student James Madison, to the “Great Light of America.”
The students and faculty, including the president, will participate in a moment of silence before the event.
“Today the University of Virginia is making a statement: We are a light to the world, and we will continue to shine that light in the days ahead,” interim President Teresa A. Sullivan said in a statement.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who announced his intention to enter the 2020 presidential race on Sunday, was among those who signed the letter to be read Tuesday at the game.
President Trump also sent his condolences to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam over the loss of life from the shooting.
“We join Virginia in mourning the loss of two Virginia State Police troopers and our deep appreciation for their heroic efforts to defend the people of Alexandria,” the president said in a statement. “The full force of the law will be used to apprehend and bring to justice those responsible for their deaths.”
The two officers were struck by gunfire from James’ father and brother after the game. The suspected shooter, James Madison, was armed with a pistol.
“The officers who were injured were shot at such close range, and were wearing their body armor with full-face helmets, that it was impossible for any of them to have been able to stop the shots they were confronted with,” the university’s statement said.
“Their actions saved lives. They saved the game for everyone involved, and they saved their own lives by putting themselves in harm’s way when they first saw the shooter approaching the field,” it added.
The two officers, Cpl. Jason Harrison and Sgt. David L. Williams, were injured during the shooting. Both had been placed