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News / Clark County News

Community holds candlelight vigil for Clayton Joseph

By Anthony Macuk, Columbian business reporter
Published: February 23, 2019, 8:13pm

More than 50 people gathered at Esther Short Park on Saturday evening for a candlelight vigil to honor Clayton Joseph, the 16-year-old boy who was shot and killed by a Vancouver police officer on Tuesday.

Joseph was shot when the officer responded to a report of a disturbance outside of an apartment complex on Southeast Ellsworth Road. Vancouver police say the teen brandished a knife before he was shot.

Members of Joseph’s family were not present at the vigil. Multiple attendees described it as an impromptu gathering that arose from discussions among Vancouver residents, and word of the event spread through friends and on social media.

About a half dozen attendees spoke about Joseph and the circumstances of his death and the impact of the news on Vancouver’s communities of color, but most simply expressed solidarity and support for the family.

“This is not a platform to push any agenda except for the one to love each other,” one speaker said.

Many of the attendees carried candles and brought flowers, and the speakers urged members of the crowd to take individual flowers and exchange them with others in the crowd.

Most of the attendees declined to speak to the media, citing what they described as a request from Joseph’s family for privacy.

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