AURORA, Ill. (CBS) – Thursday marked five years since the shooting at the Henry Pratt company in Aurora.
The city organized a candlelight vigil on Thursday to remember the five men who were murdered: Russell Beyer, Vicente Juarez, Clayton Parks, Josh Pinkard, and Trevor Wehner.
Six other people were hurt in the shooting, including five police officers.
Five years after the shooting in their workplace, former employees, family members, and first responders from that day gathered at the Henry Pratt plant to mark the milestone.
Their numbers were much smaller than the first vigil held just two days after the shooting.
“It was that rainy, icy snow,” said plant manager Anita Lewis. “It was absolutely horrible, but everybody turned out.”
But attendees, like Lewis, who was working that day, noted they are part of a growing group, referencing the shooting at the Kansas City Super Bowl parade on Wednesday.
“Having gone through this with all of you and my family, every time that happens, it brings back the Pratt thing, but it also makes me realize you know the pain and all that, and those are all real people with lives,” she said.