By DAVID C. KILPATRICK, Associated Press CHARLESTON, W.
Va.
(AP) In a city of 6.6 million, it was a bit like having a friend who’d just passed away.
And for people who were on the edge of their seats and looking for a little peace and quiet, the memorial for a man who was fatally shot in front of them at a gas station last summer was an eye-opener.
The memorial is on the side of the main road at Fred Meyer, which is next to the site of the shooting.
It has been there since July 18.
The memorial is open to the public, with an hour-and-a-half drive for those who want to visit it.
A candlelight vigil is held each Friday at 7 p.m. at the cemetery in the town of St. Francis, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Charleston.
In July, a candlelight walk was held at the site.
The scene is stark.
There are bullet holes, shattered glass and bloodstains in the parking lot.
There are flowers, stuffed animals and stuffed animals scattered about.
The only other memorial in the area is at the corner of Main and State streets, where a young boy has been buried.
A sign near the site says that this memorial was built to remember Fred Meyer as he was, and not as he may be.
A few weeks ago, the Rev. John A. Stoddard Jr., the pastor at St. Mary of the Lake church, started a candlelit vigil.
He has been praying for about three hours a day for people to come out and attend the vigil, which he said was a chance to pray together with others.
It’s not the first time the cemetery has been the focus of attention.
There were concerns about the use of the cemetery to house veterans who had died in Vietnam and who were buried there.