A year after a gunman opened fire in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, killing twelve people, two of the survivors, both injured during the incident, got married, according to the Associated Press.
Eugene Han and Kirsten Davis got married on Saturday, turning a date marked by tragedy into a day of celebration. Friends that were also survivors of the shooting took part in the ceremony, which occurred at the Village East Baptist Church in Aurora. Senior Pastor Robert McClendon said a prayer for the couple, as well as for those still grieving the tragedy.
"This time is both happy and sacred," McClendon said.
As Han and Davis were getting married, many other survivors, as well as those still grieving loved ones, marked the date with a "Day of Remembrance," sponsored by the city of Aurora.
Seventy people were injured in the attack, and the parents, siblings and survivors attended a ceremony of prayer, song and remembrance outside city hall. Several hundred people, including police, fire personnel and members of Colorado's congressional delegation, attended the event. The names of the dead were read aloud, with a bell toll after each name.
"One year ago, the peace of our community was shattered," Mayor Steve Hogan said. "We are still seeking justice."
James Holmes, accused of the shooting, has been charged with murder and attempted murder, as well a several other offenses. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
"It is important for us to remember that one senseless act does not, cannot and will not define us as a community," Hogan continued. "This is a story of resilience, not just of Aurora, but of humankind."
People visited 12 crosses that have been erected near the theater where the attack occurred.
On Friday and Saturday, Rep. Rhonda Fields, who lost her son and his fiancé to gun violence in 2005, along with other volunteers, read the names of the more than 2,500 people killed in gun-related violence in the U.S. since the Newtown, Connecticut massacre at an elementary school in December in a similar ceremony.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, not the city of Aurora, sponsored the ceremony. A gun rights group, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, said the event wrongly politicized a tragedy to promote gun control, so they staged a counter-rally nearby.
Survivors of the Aurora shooting got married on the anniversary.
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