Archbishop of San Francisco Visits Families of Crescent Bay Shooting Victims

The Archbishop of San Francisco visited Crescent Bay on Friday to try to bring peace to the community following Monday’s mass shooting.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone told community members he came to the coast to bless the crime scenes and help bring them back to peaceful areas.

“On this day, we have come together to turn this space of death into a place of life,” he said. “This is the place where the violence happened, we are rebuilding as a place of peace.”

Servando Martinez struggled to hold back tears as he spoke of the tragedy. His brother Mariano was one of the seven killed.

Amidst all the pain, Servando asked God to forgive the man who killed his brother, a feeling shared by other family members.

Renato Juarez Pérez’s cousin, José Romero Pérez, was another victim. Renato said that forgiveness is necessary so that the killer can also be healed of his sins.

“They themselves showed the love of God by forgiving the perpetrator of this heinous crime, who took their loved ones from them,” Cordileone said.