4th and final Apalachee High School shooting victim laid to rest

ATLANTA — As Georgia students walked out of their classrooms on Friday to demand safety from gun violence, one of their own was laid to rest.

At St. Matthew Catholic Church in Winder, a funeral mass was held in honor of 14-year-old Christian Angulo, who was remembered for his gentle soul and the love he exuded for the people in his life. His was the fourth and last funeral tied to the Sept. 4 shooting rampage at Apalachee High School.

Christian Angulo was a freshman.

Two teachers and a second 14-year-old student were also killed. The shooter, who was armed with an assault-style rifle, injured another teacher and eight other students.

Friday’s service was bilingual: Angulo was born to Mexican immigrant parents. His funeral drew many members of a Hispanic community that is growing in northeast Georgia.

“These events have forever changed this community,” said Rev. Gregory John Hartmayer in his homily. “This tragedy was not God’s plan for Christian.”

As he spoke, waves of sadness visibly rippled through the roughly 600 mourners inside the church. Many dabbed tears from their eyes while others hung their heads low. Family members held each other.

“Our focus is on the beams of love that shone from Christian’s all too short life,” Rev. Hartmayer continued. “Despite our sadness, we are invited to celebrate the love and tenderness, the kindness and compassion, the joy and the laughter that were so characteristic of Christian’s life.”

Authorities have charged a 14-year-old student, Colt Gray, with four charges of felony murder in connection with the school shooting. His father also has been charged with second-degree murder for furnishing his son with a weapon used to kill children.

The teenager surrendered to school resource officers who confronted him just minutes after the first shots were fired, authorities said. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Gray rode the bus to school that day with his weapon in his backpack.

At Friday’s funeral mass, many mourners wore shirts that read “Apalachee strong.” Christian’s loved ones wore shirts and sweaters bearing his photograph. They read: “Our angel in heaven. Your wings were ready, our hearts were not.”

Family members did not speak during Friday’s service. They previously shared tributes on social media and in interviews.

“He gave his father and me a hug. I will always carry that in my heart,” Christian’s mother, Emma, told Univision. “I will always cherish the final, tight embrace he gave me the night before the shooting.”

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