Family members, survivors gather for vigil to remember Oregon District shooting victims

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Although city leaders organized several virtual tributes to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Oregon District mass shooting, several family members, friends and survivors gathered for a brief prayer vigil Tuesday night to remember the nine lives lost.

The group held a nine-minute moment of silence at 8:04 p.m. on Fifth Street where the shots rang out one year ago.

Donita Cosey, a survivor of the shooting, told 2 NEWS it was her first time returning to the area since August 4, 2019.

“I’m a little on edge just because I’ve not been down here, but I feel like it’s the right thing to do,” she said.

Cosey told 2 NEWS she was on Fifth Street with her fiance and his family members when the shooting started.

Her fiance’s father Derrick Fudge did not survive.

“It’s definitely been a life-changer to have him not there because he was there for every function that we’ve ever had,” Cosey said.

Throughout the day, several community members visited the area to reflect and remember.

“It’s been a tough year,” said David Reynolds, who lives nearby and heard the gunshots from his home. “It’s been a tough year last year and rolling into this year. So I had to come down here.”

As several tributes remain on display in the Oregon District, some community members told 2 NEWS they want to make sure the nine people killed are never forgotten.

“We got to keep these victims’ names alive the best way that we can because they didn’t deserve this,” Cosey said.

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