Politics

15 Heartbreaking Images from Shooting Memorials and Vigils in El Paso and Dayton

At a Texas Walmart and an Ohio bar, people gathered to leave flowers for the dead.
By Lucy Diavolo
Closeup image of flowers in a memorial a small note had a handdrawn bird and the phrase DAYTON RISES
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Two deadly mass shootings took place this weekend: First on August 3 in El Paso, Texas, and then in the early hours of August 4 in Dayton, Ohio. At least 22 died and as many as 26 were injured in El Paso and at least another 9 were killed and 27 injured in Dayton. As stories of the victims trickle out, people in both cities gathered over the weekend to leave flowers in makeshift memorials at both sites and attend vigils held to honor those lost.

While investigations continue in El Paso and Dayton, residents of both cities came out in droves to grieve together.

Here are some of the most powerful photos from those memorials and vigils.

  • Image of a woman wearing a black top white capri pants and sandals squatting to lay a bouquet of flowers on a roadside curb.
    MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
    1/15

    A Makeshift Memorial in El Paso

    This woman appears to be among the first to leave flowers outside the Cielo Vista Mall Walmart, where the El Paso shooting took place. She would not be the last.

  • Image of a man in a ball cap red tshirt khaki shorts and sandals squatting to lay a floral wreath on a roadside curb a...
    MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
    2/15

    Mourners Visited the Spot

    As the memorial grew on Sunday, this man was seen leaving a floral wreath as objects including a Rubik's cube were also left near the Walmart.

  • Image of a woman squatting on a roadside curb to lay flowers amidst a memroail including stuffed animals prayer candles...
    MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
    3/15

    Flowers and More Were Left for the Dead

    As the memorial outside the Walmart continued to grow, stuffed animals, artwork, and a sign reading "El Paso is a Family" were added.

  • Image may contain Human Person Plant Flower Flower Bouquet Flower Arrangement Blossom Transportation and Vehicle
    MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
    4/15

    The Memorial Was Outside the Shooting Location

    These mourners were there as the memorial continued to grow, including balloons and prayer candles. The Walmart where the shooting took place is visible in the background.

  • A mother in a gray tshirt and blue denim shorts and her small daughter in a purple tshirt and pink shorts squat near a...
    MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
    5/15

    The Memorial Grew Throughout the Day

    This family is lighting a prayer candle at the spot of the El Paso memorial, which grew considerably throughout the day.

  • Image of a lightboard sign reading WE ARE RESILIENT WE ARE STRONG WE ARE EL PASO WE STAND TOGETHER against a blue sky...
    Mario Tama/Getty Images
    6/15

    Nearby Businesses Also Reacted

    This sign near the site of the shooting had a message for El Paso residents.

  • Image of dozens of people holding candles and phones with flashlights on aloft at a vigil
    MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
    7/15

    Later, a Vigil Was Held

    Thousands of El Paso residents attended a vigil Sunday night. Here, they use phones and candles to offer lights for the lost.

  • Image of three purple flowers sticking out a bullet hole in a glass window with a pot leaf decal on it.
    MEGAN JELINGER/AFP/Getty Images
    8/15

    Another Makeshift Memorial in Dayton

    Mourners also gathered at Ned Peppers Bar, the Dayton nightlife spot where a second mass shooting took place early Sunday morning. Here, flowers were inserted into a bullet hole in a window.

  • Image of several bouquets of flowers — red white yellow and blue — propped up against a wooden door in a stone doorway
    MEGAN JELINGER/AFP/Getty Images
    9/15

    Flowers at the Bar's Doorstep

    Like in El Paso, mourners left flowers throughout the day on Sunday outside the location of the shooting.

  • Image of a woman from behind she is leaning to light one of dozens of candles placed near flowers in a stone doorway in...
    MEGAN JELINGER/AFP/Getty Images
    10/15

    The Memorial Grew Throughout the Day Sunday

    Mirroring El Paso and so many other shootings, the site of the Dayton incident attracted people all day Sunday, many of whom left flowers and candles.

  • Image of two young women with hands to their faces crying in front of an array of candles and flowers in a street sidewalk.
    Xinhua/Liu Jie/Getty Images
    11/15

    The Sites Offer a Place to Grieve

    These mourners stopped to see the memorial at Ned Peppers Bar as a vigil took place nearby.

  • Image of two women looking solemn and holding candles at a crowded vigil they are wearing tshirts reading OHIO AGAINST...
    Scott Olson/Getty Images
    12/15

    A Candlelight Vigil for Dayton's Victims

    Mourners gathered in Dayton to grieve soon after the deadly shooting in their town.

  • Image of a young boy crying and holding a prayer candle while riding on a man's shoulders in the background a theatre...
    Whitney Saleski/Anadolu Agency/Getty
    13/15

    A Dayton Vigil Drew Crowds to the Streets

    Hundreds of people turned out for a vigil in Dayton on Sunday after the shooting there.

  • Image of dozens of people holding candles at a vigil in Dayton Ohio
    Scott Olson/Getty Images
    14/15

    Mourners Gathered in Dayton's Oregon District

    The crowds at Dayton's vigil filled the city's Oregon District, a popular nightlife area in the Ohio city.

  • Image of two hands holding a candle in a cell phone in front of a twilight sky several balloons are floating above them...
    Xinhua/Liu Jie/Getty
    15/15

    Dayton's Vigil Also Took Place Sunday Night

    Here, mourners hold a candle and a cell phone aloft in the fading light as several balloons float above the crowd.

Keywordsgun violencemass shootingsel pasotexasohioMemorialvigils
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