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UDems, College Republicans host vigil for Deeds

University community supports state senator following tragic stabbing

Students, faculty and community members gathered in the Amphitheater for a candlelight vigil Thursday evening in support of Virginia State Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), who was stabbed Tuesday morning. The College Republicans and University Democrats co-hosted the vigil.

David Brown, a representative for Del. David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, read a statement from the delegate expressing shock about the incident between Deeds and his son Gus, who stabbed the senator before ending his own life, according to preliminary reports from Virginia State Police.

“We struggle to comprehend what is impossible to understand,” Toscano said in the statement. “We pray for the Deeds family, who so dearly loved Gus, and who struggled privately and mightily to help their son and brother in the face of obstacles that ultimately proved insurmountable.”

Second-year College student Jarrod Nagurka, a member of the University Democrats, said the incident was an important time to put aside partisan differences.

“We all heard the news Tuesday and figured this was going to be a time when we weren’t going to be Democrats, and we weren’t going to be Republicans but just be students of the University, members of the Charlottesville community and Virginians,” Nagurka said. “[Senator Deeds has] always had our back and now we came together to show that we have his.”

On the heels of the hotly contested statewide election just three weeks ago, the vigil offered an important opportunity for opposing political groups to work together, said third-year College student Elizabeth Minneman, the College Republicans chair.

“There are some things that I think we can work together on and this [is] one of them,” Minneman said. “When the community is faced with such a tragedy, as we’ve seen this week, it’s good to see us put politics aside and come together to reflect and offer condolences to the Deeds’ family.”

Both University Democrats President Madeline DuCharme and Minneman agreed this event transcended politics.

“This is not really a political statement or political event,” Minneman said. “It really just so happens that both of our groups have ties to politics. When an elected official has something so terrible happen to him, we want to reach out and offer our support.”

Correction: A previous article incorrectly said that Delegate Toscano spoke at the event. A statement from the delegate was read by a representative from his office.

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