As the nation looked on, commentators struggled for words that hadn’t already been said after so many similar tragedies. “We cannot allow this to become normal,” one anchor said quietly. “We just can’t.” Political leaders called for action, but for the families in Stanton, talk felt distant and hollow. What they needed first was space to mourn, to hold each other, to make sense of the senseless.
In the days to come, the focus will shift from headlines to names—children who loved drawing and basketball, teachers who stayed behind to protect their students, parents who will never again hear the sound of their child’s laughter. Their stories will form the legacy of this day, not the gunman’s name or his motives.
