A vigil was held Thursday night for the student who shot himself Tuesday morning in the courtyard of Lake Minneola High School.

  • Dozens gathered at Betterlife Worship Center
  • Group prayed, sang, held moment of silence
  • Social worker spoke to group about suicide prevention

Dozens gathered for the ceremony honoring Seth Sutherland outside BetterLife Worship Center in Clermont.

Youth Pastor Jazmin Rivera organized the vigil. 

“A lot of my youth are actually students at Lake Minneola High School, and so it really hit home because that could've been any one of them,” she said. “I knew this was something we had to do to show them there is a community here that is going to do something for them, that they are not alone.”

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They prayed, sang, and held a moment of silence not just for Sutherland, but for all of those who saw no other option.

“That’s not the only way out, there is so much more that they have so many resources and people they can go to and confide in,” Rivera said. 

A social worker spoke at the vigil about mental health and suicide prevention.