South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Families mourn, bury victims of shootings in Ohio, Texas
DAYTON, Ohio — A man who died in the arms of his son after a mass shooting in Ohio was remembered Saturday as a loving family man who painted houses and loved to fish and cook.
The funeral for Derrick Fudge, 57, was among several being held Saturday for people who died in separate mass shootings last weekend in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas.
Investigators in Texas said a gunman opened fire in a Walmart store Aug. 3, targeting Latinos and killing 22 people.
Less than 24 hours later, another shooter killed nine people in a popular Dayton nightlife area.
Hundreds of mourners, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, attended Fudge’s funeral at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Dayton, the Dayton Daily News reported.
Fudge’s son, Dion Green, said his father spoke often of his willingness to die for him. Green previously told the Springfield News-Sun he believes his father protected him from being killed.
Green said Saturday that his father was a great person who was always there to help when needed.
Burial services for Saeed Saleh, 38, were also held Saturday morning in Dayton, according to the Daily News. Saleh, who was originally from Eritrea and recently immigrated to the U.S., was remembered as a “humble and quiet person” by a spokesman for the family.
In El Paso, a requiem Mass was offered for 15year-old Javier Amir Rodriguez, a high school sophomore and avid soccer player who was at the Walmart with his uncle when he was killed.
Burial was also scheduled for Jordan Anchondo, who died shielding her infant son from gunfire. Her 2-month-old son was treated for broken bones, but was orphaned after Jordan and her husband, Andre, were killed.
Meanwhile, more than
100 people marched through El Paso on Saturday, denouncing racism and calling for stronger gun laws.
Chanting “gun reform now,” “El Paso strong” and
“aqui estamos y no nos
vamos” — Spanish for “here we are and we are not leaving” — the marchers included Hispanic, white and black people dressed in white to symbolize peace and carrying 22 white wooden crosses to represent the victims of the Walmart shooting.
The man charged with capital murder in the attack, Patrick Crusius, 21, told investigators he targeted “Mexicans” at the store with an AK-47 rifle, an El Paso detective said in an arrest affidavit. Federal prosecutors have said they’re weighing hate crime charges.
Jessica Coca Garcia, who was among those wounded in the shooting, spoke to those gathered at the League of United Latin American Citizens’ “March for a United America.”
“Racism is something I always wanted to think didn’t exist. Obviously, it does,” Coca Garcia said after rising from a wheelchair. Bandages covered gunshot wounds to her leg.
“I love you, El Paso,” she said, her voice cracking. “This is where I’m going to stay.”