Arlington Lamar Students Return to Campus After Fatal Shooting

It was a day filled with anxiety and emotion for parents, students and staff at Arlington’s Lamar High School as doors reopened and classes resumed after Monday’s deadly shooting on campus.

Before sunrise Wednesday it was a nervous walk to school for many students. Victoria Crow asked her mother to walk with her, worried something bad would happen again.

“I feel sad and mixed emotions about everything,” said Crow.

Heavy security surrounded campus two days after a classmate shot and killed 16-year-old Ja’Shawn Poirier. Police still do not have a motive.

“Who says it’s not going to happen again today? Or the other day? Or Monday or next week? It’s kind of scary,” said student Aiden Leivo said.

Poirier’s mother shared her grief on Facebook, writing in a post alongside a photo of her son, “So lost and crushed… I can’t believe you’re gone… You didn’t deserve this.”

Blessed Sacrament Church, which is located next to campus, held a prayer vigil on Tuesday. A mass and rosary is planned for Wednesday night.

Church leader Renee Alarcon is mother to a freshman. Her son often shared the same lunch table with Poirier.

Like so many parents, she worried about her son’s return to campus.

“My thought was if I take him out of Lamar or move him out of Arlington, where am I going to move him? They’re having these issues all over the country,” Alarcon said.

She’s praying for Poirier’s family and all those affected by the tragedy and hopes students will find strength in ongoing conversations and community.

“That’s where you look for your hope,” Alarcon said. “That’s where you know you keep going.”