AURORA — Pastors from across the Denver metro area had a July 20 prayer vigil planned for weeks, a response to the summer full of violence. They quickly decided to move Friday’s vigil to the Kaiser Permanente parking lot, across from the Century 16 theater where 12 people were killed and 58 others were injured as they watched a movie.
Three ministerial alliances brought their pastors to pray at the vigil in front of a crowd of several hundred people.
“Since this happened, we said it is time to come together,” said Thomas Mayes, pastor at the Living Water Christian Center Church in northwest Aurora.
The crowd of mourners remained in the parking lot until after sundown, lighting candles, hugging, praying and singing songs.
“The brazenness of this violence seems to keep rising,” said Patrick Demmer, pastor at Graham Memorial Church of God and Christ.
Brian Rohrbough, the father of Columbine shooting victim Daniel Rohrbough, told mourners to reach out to the families and friends of Friday’s shooting victims in order to help the community heal.
“I encourage you to recognize God didn’t put us here on the Earth to be on the sidelines,” Rohrbough said. “Tell them you are praying for them.”
Shortly after the prayers ended, a group of teens, several wearing orange and black Gateway High attire, received a message that a classmate had died. Girls broke into sobs, and several boys exchanged long hugs.
Oliver Robinson, 18, was in theater 9 with several of his Gateway High classmates. He said they had been worried about the fate of a missing friend all day.
Robinson said he was sitting near the top of the theater. His missing friend was sitting near the front.
“We took cover till he stopped shooting,” said Robinson, who graduated in May. “He was loading another clip, and we escaped out the top.”
The mood at Friday night’s prayer vigil for the shooting victims in Aurora was eerily mirrored by the scenic background — a setting sun trying to cast out light from behind a dark cloud.
Several hundred local residents congregated across the road from the theater to pray, reflect, light candles or just grieve together.
“I feel like I should be here because I was there,” said Kristin Brushel, 16, who was working the concession stand at the time of the crime.
Brushel lingered near the back with Nic van der Laan, 18, who was working the box office when he heard shots ring through the building.
“It was terrifying. It sounded like fireworks,” van der Laan said.
The two teenagers had friends who were in theater 9 but were not injured.
“They’re all really shaken. None of them can sleep; most of them can’t eat,” van der Laan said.
The theater staff was held for interviewing all night long. Brushel didn’t leave the scene until 5 a.m., and she and van der Laan didn’t return until the 7 p.m. vigil.
“I want to show my respects, and I’ll be here again in the morning,” van der Laan said.
Holding candles near the front, Chandler Reed, 18, and Lexie Sigler, 18, stood silently. Both were in the theater at the time of the shooting and have a friend who was missing.
“They were sitting in a different section from us,” Reed said.
“I think he was in the front row,” Sigler said.
Kristen Leigh Painter: kpainter@denverpost.com, 303-954-1628 or twitter.com/kristenpainter
