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Vigil Held for Orlando Massacre Victims in Marfa

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Prayers are being offered across the nation in response to the Orlando massacre, including here in West Texas.

In Marfa Sunday night, an emotional candlelight vigil was held on the lawn at the Presidio County Courthouse, a place that’s served for generations to celebrate the memory of Texans killed in wars.

Marfa resident Eli Cordova was one of many gathering to mourn the victims of the violence in Orlando over the weekend.

"Even though we're far away from what happened, it could be any of us," he said. "It could've been anywhere, and it happens time and time again, and it just felt really good to gather with my people here in town."

Vigils were also held in Austin, Dallas and across the nation on Sunday. Texas politicians and leaders also reacted to the tragedy.

In Marfa, mourners gathered in a semi-circle and stood quietly as they addressed the crowd, one-by-one, to describe their sadness over the killings in Orlando.

"It's something that happened far away," said Sally Beauvais, also on Marfa. "We all read about it and heard about it. You know, we have people from our community who could have been in that nightclub. Any of us could've been in that nightclub."

Lorne Matalon contributed reporting.

Travis Bubenik is All Things Considered Host and Big Bend Reporter at Marfa Public Radio.