CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS (WSIL) -- A somber evening for Southern Illinois University Carbondale Salukis remembering and honoring the life of their classmate.
Hundreds of students, family and friends gathered outside Davies Hall Sunday night for a vigil after a killed a student and injured three others.
Police have not identified the victim, but loved ones say, they're heartbroken by the loss freshman Keshanna Jackson.
Several spoke through tears describing her as someone who always found a way to make others smile through difficult times.
Father Joseph Brown, who's also a SIU professor of Africana Studies, spoke at the event and offered support to those close to Jackson. Brown tells News 3, he's encouraged by the strength the students displayed at the vigil.
"These young people are giving me hope by responding immediately to something that nobody should ever have to deal with," he says. "But to have to come and grieve for a child again, this takes me down, but these young people assembling here bring me back up."
Friends of Jackson also told the crowd they wanted the event to be a celebration of life, since she lived hers to the fullest. One speaker added that loved ones would keep her memory alive.
Prior to the vigil SIU Chancellor Austin Lane released a statement about the victim.
“We are heartbroken to lose a member of the Saluki family and extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends. Carbondale Police Department notified us of the incident about 3:15 a.m. today, Aug. 22, and we are assisting CPD as it carries out its investigation. We understand this will come as a shock to many of our students. If they are feeling anxious or have other mental health concerns,  is available to help them, and our counselors in residence will be available today until 9 p.m. in Baldwin Hall and 3-9 p.m. in Grinnell Hall for immediate walk-in appointments. As we mourn this loss in our community, we will keep the student’s family and friends in our thoughts.�
