SANFORD — Candles flickered against the backdrop of a blue-lit waterfall Sunday as about two dozen residents gathered at Gateway Park to commemorate fallen and injured Dallas police officers and support the local police department.

“It’s important to show we support our local police and Dallas police,” said Jonathan Huston, a Sanford High School junior and member of the Sanford Police Cadets program who plans to go into law enforcement. “They’re in our hearts.”

Huston helped organize the gathering over the weekend, one of three people who didn’t know each other until they began conversing on social media after someone made an inquiry.

“We were three strangers,” said Roxanne Shepard as she propped up a poster she’d made against the fence overlooking the falls.

Shepard volunteered to make a poster, Dianne McCaul created an event page on Facebook and brought candles, and Huston brought music and five American flags bearing the names of the Dallas police officers killed by a gunman Thursday night.

Since the Dallas killings, a number of local police departments have reported showings of support, from folks bringing snacks to the departments to giving thumbs up when cruisers roll by – and the Vigil for Peace in the Sanford park Sunday night.

“It’s good to see we do have support for officers,” said Sanford patrol Officer Everett Allen, who stopped by during his shift to bring five candles in blue holders to the commemoration.

“It’s important to show pride in your local law enforcement,” said Sanford police cadet Jesse Warner, a Sanford High School junior.

Eli Taylor said he’d hosted a vigil after the killing of 49 people and the wounding of 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12.

“So I am returning the favor,” he said as he lit a candle.

“We need to start a dialogue to try and release the tensions building around the country,” said McCaul. “We can’t resolve it until we start talking as people, not labels.”

The ceremony was brief. People began gathering shortly before the 8:30 p.m. event. At 8:58 p.m., the time the first shots rang out in Dallas, some stepped forward to speak.

“The amount of violence going on these days is appalling,” said Taylor.

“My thoughts and prayers go out to everybody,” said another speaker. “Every officer shot – that’s someone’s child; it’s terrible.”

“Be kind to one another,” a speaker said as the event drew to a close.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].