Students painted the bridge’s concrete wall in Cavalier orange and added jersey numbers and initials in blue and white to honor Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry, the three student-athletes shot to death Sunday night on a bus after a class field trip. Police charged another student with the murders.
Students passing over the bridge were invited to use black markers to write messages on the wall.
“This was a tragic loss of life,” said Noyanika Vattathara, a second-year student who helped organize the bridge signing. “Gun violence is an issue that is not OK. We have been dealing with it for so long. … We are creating a space for students to write a message of support so people who walk by know that there is a community of support here for everyone.”
Graham Bucko, a third-year student, said his thoughts have been awash in a flurry of emotions since Sunday night.
“I wrote, ‘May we lead lives that honor their memory.’ I wrote this because, obviously, we can’t change what happened to our community,” Bucko said. “But what I am thinking about is how I am going to try to make an impact with my life that would be able to honor them in some way.
“I hope they would be proud if they were still here.”