‘A baby is gone:’ Tears, hugs shared at candlelight vigil for 13-year-old Staten Island bus stabbing victim
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Silive.com: ‘A baby is gone:’ Tears, hugs shared at candlelight vigil for 13-year-old Staten Island bus stabbing victim
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Dozens of family, friends and community members gathered in Clifton Monday night for a candlelight vigil celebrating the life of Syles Ular, the 13-year-old boy fatally stabbed aboard an MTA bus in Eltingville Friday afternoon.
Hugs were shared and tears were shed in front 185 Park Hill Ave. as the evening began with a selection of contemporary gospel songs performed by Pastor David Beidel of Urban Hope. A significant police presence mingled among the large, respectful crowd as participants handed out candles and balloons.
While much of the evening was heavy on prayer, several speakers took to the microphone to both offer condolences to Ular’s family and to offer recollections of a young life tragically lost.
State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore) said she was picking up her own children from the school bus when she was notified of Friday’s fatal incident.
“This gives me a real renewed sense of urgency that I will bring to Albany for young people,” Scarcella-Spanton said. “Syles is the second child this year from this area who was brutally killed. It’s not acceptable. It’s not OK. And we have more to do.”
