MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three days after the mass shooting at a Collierville Kroger, the the recovery continues for the victims and community members. Now, a national organization is lending a helping hand to the Collierville community.
Thursday’s mass shooting has altered a number of lives in Collierville, including parents like Zach Shaw.
“We’re here at the town square to go on a bike ride because this felt like even more safe place then walking around our little neighborhood, just for the next couple days,” Shaw said.
Of the 14 people who survived the shooting, six remain hospitalized at Regional One. As they recover, a group of chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has arrived in Collierville to support the community.
“We go all over, the Las Vegas shooting, Ben County Kentucky shootings,” said chaplains coordinator James Kilgore. “I wish they didn’t happen but they do and we wanna be there to help those people who are hurting.”
Kilgore says their ultimate goal is to provide emotional and spiritual care to the victims and first responders when they need it the most.
“Just simply the emotional level is off the chart,” Kilgore said. “Stuff like this can brings fear, fear to people. The question is ‘Will I ever go back to Kroger? Will I ever stay at my house after the storm?’ But people can get through that.”
With crime scene tape draped across Kroger’s parking lot, residents like Shaw hope that the tragedy can lead to changes in the community.
“I hope that nothing like this ever happens again here and hopefully our elected officials can, maybe, rally around this as an opportunity to set up more strict guidelines for guns or just safety in public places,” Shaw said.
This week, we should learn more from Collierville Police about where they are in terms of the investigation. At last check, they were looking into the gunman’s past.
