One year later, Kalamazoo remembers shooting rampage victims

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A community is remembering the victims of the Kalamazoo shooting massacre on the one-year anniversary of the rampage.

Six people lost their lives in the attack allegedly carried out by an Uber driver.
 
Police say Jason Dalton, used his job as an Uber driver to choose his victims at random. For four hours and 42 minutes he went on a shooting spree later saying he was possessed by the app.

"Over the last year that darkness has begun to break because of the light," said Pastor Paul Fazio. "The victims may be gone but their heartbeat continues."

One year later a moment of silence which lasted 4 minutes and 42 seconds inside the K-Wings Stadium to honor those victims and their families.

"We are Kalamazoo and we did respond the best way we could," said Fazio.

"A memorial is just a building, it's up to us to keep the victims' memories alive," said Laura Hawthorne, a niece of one of the victims.

"It's not my life anymore," said Lori Smith who lost her son and husband to the attack. "My life is with my family."

Lori Smith lost her son Tyler and her husband during to the violent rampage. Her life was forever changed in the darkness that followed.

"What am I going to do now," she said.

Smith said she has channeled that grieve into something that will hopefully pay tribute to those lost souls for years to come.

"This gives me purpose and what better way than to share with others and to give to others," she said.

Smith's son loved soccer so it serves at the bulk of the memorial.

But as you explore you see a tribute of the lives well lived laid out in an artful journey meant to inspire and help people reflect on what was taken one year ago.

As the families of those victims put the finishing touches at that memorial at the soccer field site, it is expected to be completed in about two years.