A small group of Valley High School students held a quiet vigil Aug. 29 at the site of the recent shooting near a Jefferson County Public Schools bus stop that left their friend in critical condition.
The girls, who wore yellow to symbolize "peace," held each other and spoke through tears as they explained what makes their classmate so remarkable and prayed for her return. Most of all, they said they missed her smile, positivity and presence during school.
"We got a person that we love in the hospital whose been in critical condition," Chrisse Churchill, 15, said. "Anything can happen. You never know."
The shooting occurred in the Park DuValle neighborhood near Beech Street and Wyandotte Avenue on Aug. 25, Louisville Metro Police Department spokesperson Aaron Ellis said. No known arrests have been made in connection to the shooting.
Louisville resident Gary Bieber told The Courier Journal on the morning of the shooting he "woke up to five or six gunshots" and ran out of his house to see what had happened. In the street, he encountered two girls, one of whom had been shot in the head. When the other girl pointed it out to her, he said the girl dropped to the ground, and neighbors came to help before police swiftly responded.
"Out of everybody, she doesn't deserve it," one girl at the vigil said.
"She was a very positive person," one chimed in.
"It's not fair," another said.
During an Aug. 25, news conference, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said it was "heartbreaking" to learn about the shooting while having breakfast with his son.
"We will continue to do everyone we can to find the individuals responsible for this, to work to ensure our community is safer tomorrow than it is today," he said.
The shooting marked a "tragic day" for the JCPS community, Superintendent Brian Yearwood said.
"This must stop. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that our children remain safe, because the highest priority for me is that our students come to schools every day and travel in safe neighborhoods, sitting at safe bus stops," he said.
The students at the vigil were accompanied by Sarah Wade, a mother of six who has two children who attend Valley High. Her daughter that is a sophomore at the school is best friends with the victim, she said.
Wade said she was thinking about both her daughter's friend and of the girl's mother during the prayers, later saying she "can't imagine what she's feeling."
"As a mother, I pray for her mother," she said, holding back tears. "I pray for her mother's heart."
In response to the shooting, Metro Councilwoman Donna Purvis launched a "watch the stop" initiative, where volunteers can monitor bus stops in the morning to prevent violence. They are encouraged to contact LMPD if they notice suspicious activity.
"It takes a village, and I'm actively recruiting neighbors across the district to volunteer 30 minutes of their mornings," Purvis said in a news release. "Enjoy your morning cup of coffee on your porch while helping ensure the youth in our community board their buses safely."
Multiple people have been shot in the early morning at bus stops in Louisville.
In August 2025, two shootings took place as students began the academic year. The first left one woman dead as she was walking her 7-year-old daughter to a bus stop where more than a dozen children watched. The second, while there were no victims, led to the arrest of a 15-year-old boy who was charged with 33 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment and one count of possession of a handgun by a minor.
In September 2021, 16-year-old Tyree Smith was killed while waiting for a school bus with his younger sister. Two other teens sustained injuries from the shooting.
Almost five years later, Mekhi Cable and Demaurion Moore − who were both 15 at the time − were found guilty in the shooting. Cable was sentenced to 60 years in prison after killing Smith and 15-year-old Cortez Duncan, Jr. in November 2021. Moore's sentencing will continue Sept. 10, according to court records.
During a town hall meeting following the shootings, residents posed a plethora of potential safety measures, including increased surveillance and supervision in high crime areas, having community members or LMPD walk children to bus stops, a return to gun buyback programs and increased support for parents and families.
Reporters Leo Bertucci, Krista Johnson and Kathryn Muchnick contributed. Reach breaking news reporter Ruby Grisin at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Friends of Valley High bus stop shooting victim gather for vigil