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- By Levi Rickert
A candlelight vigil will be held in Towaoc, Colorado, on Saturday, December 14, 2024, to honor the life of 7-year-old Zamias Lang, who was tragically shot and killed in the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe community on Tuesday evening.
According to a GoFundMe post, Lang was a victim of senseless gun violence. Authorities are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Chairman Manuel Heart announced Lang’s passing on Wednesday through the Weenuche Smoke Signals Facebook page.
“I’d like to make a special announcement today with a sad heart and sad mind of the event that happened last night, the loss of a child who was innocent, who left early to go back home to our Creator,” Heart said. “The event that happened last night was senseless. An adult made a decision to do something to harm another person. This person was a child.”
Chairman Heart asked his community to stay strong and not to retaliate against the person responsible for Lang’s death.
“We ask our tribal members, family members not to retaliate, as has been mentioned by some people,” Heart said. “It may be that somebody might have said that I’m going to go out and do this, I ask you to hold on. Let us go through the process that we have in place through our justice system.”
The chairman called on the Ute Mountain tribal community to support Lang’s family during the time of their mourning.
“We do need to support the family, the father, the mother, the grandparents, all the relatives far and near and get them through this, especially this time of year, when it’s the holidays,” Heart said.
Saturday's vigil will assemble across the street from the Public Safety Building and participants will walk to the Rec Center’s multi-purpose room.
The funeral will be held on Wednesday, December 18.
Native News Online will update this story as more information becomes available.
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