A vigil is scheduled Wednesday in honor of the 35th anniversary of a mass shooting at an elementary school in Stockton.
The shooting at Cleveland Elementary School happened around noon on Jan. 17, 1989.
Patrick Purdy, who had once been a student at the elementary school, walked onto the school playground with a semi-automatic rifle and began shooting.
Purdy fired 106 rounds in three minutes and ultimately left five children dead and 30 others wounded, according to Cleveland School Remembers, a nonprofit organization founded by survivors of the shooting.
Purdy died after shooting himself in the head while first responders arrived at the school. At the time, it was one of the worst school mass shootings of the late 20th century until the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado in 1999.
The anniversary event will be held by the organization at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Central United Methodist Church located at 3700 Pacific Ave. in Stockton.
At the free event, there will be music, poetry and reflections about the impact of gun violence. Former Cleveland Elementary student Cuong Nguyen and other community leaders are among the expected speakers.
Anyone is allowed to attend the anniversary.
Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.
