HAMPTON, Ga. — A Henry County community is coming together on the anniversary of a mass murder that took the lives of four people.
The victims, from Hampton, are being honored with a living memorial.
Channel 2’s Steve Gehlbach was at East Hampton Community Park, where they held an unveiling for the memorial.
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Gehlbach was a reporter on the scene that Saturday two years ago. He said it’s a day no one in Hampton forgets, but they also remember the resiliency and love of the community.
Now a new section of the park has a path with benches and trees planted for each of the four lives that were lost.
“May this space bring comfort, connection and strength to all who visit,” Police Chief James Turner said.
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City leaders, law enforcement, family members of the victims and neighbors gathered on the second anniversary to unveil and dedicate the memorial at the park.
Husband and wife Scott and Shirley Leavitt, Ronald Jeffers and Steve Blizzard each have a bench with a plaque in the park, to be forever remembered.
“There are some days that never leave us. July 15 is one of those days for the City of Hampton,” Turner said. “It’s a day that left a scar on our hearts, but also a day that revealed the strength, unity and compassion that define this city.”
The shooting in the Dogwood Lakes Subdivision took the lives of four innocent victims. It led to a manhunt and shootout with two officers and a deputy, who was shot in the line of duty and survived.
“The grief never goes away. The loss is never gone,” Samantha Blizzard, daughter of victim Steve Blizzard, said.
At the unveiling, Samantha Blizzard uncovered the bench near a willow planted to honor her father.
She told Channel 2 Action News she hopes it becomes a place of healing and reflection for anyone to come, so they can feel the same love, support and comfort.
“Seeing it, and seeing how they honored our families’ request…and placed just beautifully. I couldn’t feel more honored or blessed by the community," Samantha Blizzard said.
After the ceremony, Gehlbach spoke to family members of the Leavitts, who said the suspect was a 40-year-old veteran with mental health issues.
He was later killed in the shootout with officers and deputies.
The Leavitts’ family members said they hope the memorial can bring more awareness not only to gun violence to but to those with mental health problems so they can get the help they need.
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