Mourners attend candlelight vigil for 6 young people killed in Barrie crash

Candle flames and lantern lights illuminated the downtown waterfront in Barrie, Ont., Saturday evening as hundreds of grieving mourners gathered to honour six young city residents killed in a car crash nearly a week ago.

Friends and relatives of the victims, who were all in their early 20s, sent lanterns aloft over Kempenfelt Bay towards the end of a night filled with tearful tributes and reflections on the lives they say were cut short too soon. They floated overhead of the scene further illuminated by flickering candles and dotted with bouquets.

Curtis King, River Wells, Jason Ono-O’Connor, Luke West, Jersey Mitchell and Haley Marin had already been eulogized as future social workers, talented athletes, gifted students and cherished family and community members in the days since their deaths. Saturday’s vigil featured further tributes, but also space for those left behind to give voice to their pain.

Tracy More, Marin’s aunt, said last weekend’s events touched off a “nightmare” for the young people’s loved ones.

“Innocent in their youth and living their best lives, four boys, two girls, started an adventure that would bring their stories to a gripping halt,” she told the gathering. “Our six families will be forever joined as we all search for answers.”

The six victims were found early Sunday morning after their vehicle came to rest in a large concrete pit in a rural construction site on the southwest edge of the city.

Police stumbled on the unreported crash site hours after the vehicle’s occupants were reported as missing. Few details about the incident or the circumstances leading up to it have been released.

Curtis King, River Wells, Jason O’Connor, Luke West, Jersey Mitchell and Haley Marin.

Tributes poured in over the subsequent days. King and Wells were hailed as talented football players, West was mourned as a beloved lacrosse player and coach, and Mitchell was remembered as a passionate cheerleader.

Both Marin and Ono-O’Connor were studying at a local college, with Marin concentrating on social work and Ono-O’Connor working toward a bachelor of business in automotive management. His official obituary also described him as a keen gamer and enthusiastic athlete who dabbled in numerous sports.

The flood of tributes prompted Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman to reflect on the impact the tragedy had on the community at large.

“We’re a city of 150,000 people, but it showed this week that there are two or three degrees of separation to every one of these young people and their families,” he said during the vigil. “They touched so many lives.”

Tara O’Connor, who travelled from British Columbia to attend the vigil in honour of her son, said she was moved by the community’s actions.

“I know he is as humbled as my husband and I are by the truly generous outpouring of love and support for each of the six families,” she said of Ono-O’Connor.

Mourners assembled at the Spirit Catcher sculpture near Barrie’s downtown waterfront, placing candles on the steps leading up to the statue.

Family members, friends and teammates, some sporting athletic jerseys, wept and tried to console one another as they shared stories about their lost loved ones.

“If you knew Jersey, you know that she could be feisty at times,” said Mitchell’s uncle Jonathan Jackson. “But when she was feisty, we knew it was because of how deeply she cared about the people around her. I believe that if we could emulate that, emulate her caring and her thoughtfulness, that’s a tribute that I know she would be proud of.”

King’s father Jason, introduced at the gathering as his son’s role model, reflected on the potential snuffed in last weekend’s crash.

“My son and his friends… seeing what fine young men they were turning into, they really had it going on,” he said. “I’m just proud to be Curtis’ father, he was my best friend… He will always be my hero.”

Some attendees at the emotional gathering collapsed near the front of the crowd and were taken aboard an ambulance on stretchers. Lehman thanked first responders who were on hand to support those who fell.