‘Beautiful work of art;’ Oregon District Shooting memorial nearing completion

It’s been almost five years since one of the worst mass shootings in Ohio history, and the memorial designed as a tribute to those lost is nearly complete.

As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00 p.m., nine people were killed in the Oregon District on August 4, 2019.

Robin Sassenberg has been a business owner in the Oregon District for more than 20 years. She thinks the newest additions to the memorial are a perfect touch to this work in progress.

“I think they accomplished a beautiful work of art and memorial,” Sassenberg said.

The newest addition to the memorial includes metal structures shaped like seeds representing the 9 lives lots.

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“All of the artists were from the Dayton area and the name of the team is the seat of Life team. And this team has done an incredible job of listening, hearing the community, bringing the community into the process. And so you know, we’ve got this incredible talent in our community,” Sandy Gudorf, one of the co-chairs for the memorial said.

The talent that went into the memorial was supported by a community determined to remember those who were taken too soon.

From the beginning, the response from individuals and organizations alike has been overwhelming. Gudorf says thousands of people have helped every step of the way.

“We’ve had over 10,000 Hands contribute to putting the tiles in and everything else and it really is to recognize the nine lives that we lost, but also our entire community who suffered and was affected by this, but also to celebrate our community’s resilience and hope for the future,” Gudorf said.

There are still a few more finishing touches that will be made next week, including laying down sod and polishing the mosaic tiles.

The memorial will be officially unveiled next Sunday, August 4.