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Vigil in Portsmouth Honors Orlando Shooting Victims

Jason Moon for NHPR

A candlelight vigil was held last night in Portsmouth to honor the victims of the recent terror attack in Orlando.

Hundreds of Seacoast residents met at South Church in Portsmouth where the mood was a mix of sadness and frustration.

After brief remarks from Reverend Lauren Smith, members of the audience came forward and shared their thoughts on the tragedy. Some made calls for tougher gun laws; others expressed support for the LGBT community.

Stephen Laroche of Portsmouth says it was important that people came out to the event.

“It’s a comfort and reminder that there are other people that feel this sense of outrage and don’t just want to pass through it, through an article on the computer or through the news on the TV. You know we need to be impassioned to do something about things like this.”

The ceremony then moved outside as residents lit candles and joined together in song.

Jason Moon is a senior reporter and producer on the Document team. He has created longform narrative podcast series on topics ranging from unsolved murders, to presidential elections, to secret lists of police officers.
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