As Sandy Hook Anniversary Nears, Philadelphians Stand Against Gun Violence
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A memorial service was held today in center city Philadelphia to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shootings in Connecticut, which took place two years ago this Sunday.
The event was also billed as a time to remember all victims of gun violence.
There were music, songs, and stories from those who lost love ones to gun violence in Pennsylvania.
Twenty-six t-shirts, each bearing the name of one of the victims killed in the shooting at the Connecticut school on December 14, 2012, were on display at the Broad Street Ministry, across from the Kimmel Center.
"One of the things we are here to do today is not just to remember the victims of Sandy Hook but all of the victims from yesterday in Philadelphia, the victims from 20 years ago in Philadelphia, and to recommit ourselves to saying we need to make a change," noted Shira Goodman of CeaseFirePA, one of the event's organizers. "This is a problem that is a public health crisis, and together we want to find a solution."
A candlelight ceremony was also held to honor victims of gun violence.
One special guest who took part was Wayne Lipscomb, whose son, Philadelphia police officer Moses Walker, was murdered in 2012.
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"I wake up every morning and I say, 'Its got to be a nightmare.' You know, I'm going to wake up and Moses is going to run up the steps. Moses was 40 years old," she said today.
She saw justice yesterday when Officer Walker's killer was convicted of first-degree murder.
