Vigil for Peace set for Sunday on NIC beach

Idaho for ALL will host a Vigil for Peace at 3:30 p.m. Sunday by the volleyball courts on the North Idaho College beach in Coeur d'Alene.

The vigil provides an opportunity to grieve, honor and remember all lives lost to gun violence.

"One of the major reasons we're doing this on Dec. 14 is because this is the national day of observance of the Sandy Hook shooting. That received national recognition," Idaho for ALL convener Lauren McCroskey said Wednesday. 

Sunday is the 13th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., which claimed the lives of 26 people, 20 of whom were first graders.

The Vigil for Peace will honor victims and survivors of gun violence, from the Inland Northwest and beyond. The emphasis is on regional victims who are often forgotten or rarely given public remembrance in the region.

"We're going to have categories of remembrance," McCroskey said. "One of those is our first responders, law enforcement and elected officials. First in that list we’ll remember our local folks."

Coeur d'Alene Fire Battalion Chief John Morrison and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, who were killed during a fire and shooting on June 29 on Canfield Mountain, will definitely be remembered, McCroskey said, as well as Coeur d'Alene Fire engineer Dave Tysdal, who was seriously injured in the incident and continues to recover.

Music and simple food will encourage fellowship. At the conclusion of the event, a biodegradable candle-lit memorial will be committed to Lake Coeur d'Alene.

"At the end, we’ll have a moment of silence for those who we have not been able to list and call out," McCroskey said.