Community Holds Vigil Honoring Child Killed Before Having Opportunity To Return Fire

WATERLOO, IA—Commemorating a life which came to a sudden tragic end before reaching its true counteroffensive potential, mourners from across the community gathered for a vigil outside a Waterloo-area Walmart Sunday evening to honor the memory of 8-year-old Liam Pike, who was killed in a mass shooting at the store last week before getting a chance to return fire. “Today, we join together to celebrate young Liam, a future straight-shooting hero who was taken from us far too soon,” said Reverend Derek Mullhern of Waterloo Baptist, who consoled Melody Pike, Liam’s mother, in her grief at never getting to see her son grow into a big, strong, good guy with a gun who would surely have fired off several careful shots at the gunman. “Because of the selfish, misguided actions of one undoubtedly disturbed and anomalous individual, Liam will never exercise the God-given right to load a handgun, jump over a table while laying down suppressive fire, grit his teeth, and carefully squeeze the trigger while growling ‘not today.’ It is a tragic day for our community.” The vigil was immediately followed by a second vigil in the northern section of the parking lot to memorialize 32-year-old Robert Wilson, a local history teacher and a good guy with a gun who actually managed to take down the shooter before immediately being shot and killed by police.