- Wednesday night, a vigil was held to remember the lives lost in an accident last weekend.
- 30-year-old Jonathan Esch and 40-year-old Daniel Harris were pronounced dead at the scene.
- Video shows flowers at the crash scene and words from West Lansing's Church of Christ Minister, Gary Kennedy about the vigil.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg, here at the West Lansing Church of Christ where, on Wednesday night, a vigil was held to honor the lives of those lost in a tragedy in Watertown Township over the weekend.
Two people killed.
More than a dozen others injured.
One unthinkable tragedy for a local family.
"We just want to do this as a way to support them," said Gary Kennedy, the Preaching Minister of West Lansing Church of Christ
Preaching Minister Gary Kennedy hosted Wednesday's vigil. They asked the media not to attend, and we honored those wishes on a night dedicated to the family.
"We are thinking about supporting them in the most intimate way possible, and that is to lift them up in prayer and to help provide any needs that we possibly can," said Kennedy.
In all, 16 family members were hit Saturday by an alleged drunk driver on their walk home from a local park. Thirty-year-old Jonathan Esch and forty-year-old Daniel Harris were pronounced dead at the scene. We've now learned that Esch was a firefighter-paramedic with the Lansing Township Fire Department. Earlier Wednesday, Fire Chief Todd Hendy put out a statement saying in part:
"John was known as an extremely compassionate and knowledgeable paramedic and a highly respected firefighter. John joined the department in July of 2020 and has served the community and the EMS and fire service with pride throughout his career."
Back at the church, Kennedy says that the community's support throughout these days has been crucial to helping the family through this time.
"We're here for community and we're here for families. So to see the community kind of wrap around other families is a tremendous thing. And we are just praying God's blessing on those who were involved in all of this," said Kennedy.
As the families continue to heal, they are still asking for peace throughout this process.
The church also says that they are collecting donations for the family with their permission to help with medical bills and immediate needs.
You can donate here.
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