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Vigil held on Downtown Mall for victims of Dallas shooting

Community members, police gather in solidarity

<p>Elliott Harding organized the event on the Downtown Mall to honor and stand in solidarity with&nbsp;the Dallas victims.</p>

Elliott Harding organized the event on the Downtown Mall to honor and stand in solidarity with the Dallas victims.

On Saturday, Charlottesville community members gathered in solidarity at the Downtown Mall’s Freedom of Speech Wall to remember the five police officers shot and killed in a recent Dallas ambush.

Chairman of the Albemarle County Republican Committee Elliott Harding organized the event.

Harding works primarily in criminal defense and also focuses on law enforcement’s interaction with minority communities.

Harding said he regards the Dallas shooting as the most severe attack on law enforcement in the post-9/11 era.

“As a community, Charlottesville has reacted very quickly to come together when massacres occurred in the past,” Harding said in an email statement. “After the 2015 shooting in Charleston, S.C., there was an outpouring of support. After last month’s Orlando shooting at the Pulse Night Club, there was also a well-attended march on the Downtown Mall. I felt as if our law enforcement community, both nationally and locally, must also know that we are there for them.”

Roughly 40 people attended the vigil, including the three troopers from the Virginia State Police.

“The event was solemn, yet very uplifting at the same time,” Harding said.

During the event, Harding praised the courage of the five fallen police officers in his address to the audience.

“Those men in Dallas, and then Georgia, Tennessee and Missouri, they were willing and ready to take on [the] burden,” Harding said. “Their Badges weren’t merely symbols of authority, they were banners showing a unique, rare ability to meet those high demands.”

Rather than shift blame around, the community should focus on respecting one another's freedoms, liberty and value, Harding added.

The Charlottesville Police Department did not have officers attending the event. However, Neighborhood Services Bureau Commander Stephen Upman said in an email statement that the department was thankful for those who attended and showed support for the affected in the Dallas incident.

“The five officers who were lost this past Thursday made the ultimate sacrifice and deserve to be honored as they were on Saturday by members of the Charlottesville community,” Upman said.

One woman at the vigil spoke about her family currently living in Dallas. Her nephew recently completed officer training school and although she was concerned of his safety, she said he remains optimistic and eager to help officers deal with the aftermath and chaos of the shootings.

One man from the audience also spoke and commented that race should not negatively influence people’s respect and trust in one another.

At the end of the vigil, people lined up to shake hands with and deliver verbal encouragement to the officers in attendance.

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