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Victims Remembered One Month After Waffle House Mass Shooting

Posted at 8:25 PM, May 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-22 21:26:18-04

One month after four people were killed in a shooting at an Antioch Waffle House, the community came together to remember the lives lost.

Artwork created by Cane Ridge Elementary School students still framed the windows of the restaurant and kind messages along with a memorial remain there. Four crosses, one for each victim, are planted in the grass by the parking lot.

DeEbony Groves, Joe Perez, Taurean Sanderlin, and Akilah Dasilva died on April 22.

Even though time has passed, some wounds take more time to heal. 

"We deserve more because our lives matter just as much as another or the next person," said Desmond Bush.

Customers like Bush stopped by on the one-month anniversary to speak with police on how to decrease crime in the area.

Officers from all over Nashville came by for the "coffee with a cop" event to show their support for Antioch residents. South Precinct Commander Paul Trickey invited the mounted patrol and officers from all over Nashville.

"It's just a way that we can outreach with the community, see how we can partner closer with them, so that way they can less likely be a victim of a crime," said Trickey.

While Travis Reinking may be behind bars for the mass shooting, closure still feels far away for some people affected by this tragedy.

On Tuesday, a man stopped by and knelt by the memorial as a police officer touched his shoulder, letting him know that he is not alone in his grief. 

Project 615 announced it raised more than $44,000 for the victims and their families through their "Spread Love" campaign.

Waffle House hero James Shaw released a music video one month after the shooting.

"It's just unfortunate that people my age, and those who haven't even started their lives yet have been taken away from us and I just want to show that this should not happen," Bush said.