Claire Davis, the 17-year-old student at Arapahoe High School in Colorado who was shot in the face by a fellow student, has died, according to a statement from her family posted on the Facebook page of Littleton Adventist Hospital.
It is with unspeakable sadness that we write and say that Claire has passed away from the gunshot wound she received at Arapahoe High School on December 13, 2013. Although we have lost our precious daughter, we will always be grateful for the indelible journey she took us on over the last 17 yearsâ€"we were truly blessed to be Claire’s parents. The grace, laughter and light she brought to this world will not be extinguished by her death; to the contrary, it will only get stronger.
Last week was truly a paradox in that we lost our daughter, yet we witnessed the wonderful love that exists in the world through the tremendous outpouring of support we received. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the first responders, the school resource officer, security guard and vice principal at Arapahoe High School, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office, and the physicians, nurses and staff at Littleton Adventist Hospital. Each played a significant role in giving Claire a chance to live, and demonstrated extreme amounts of professionalism, courage and love. Please know that we will never forget the extraordinary work you did on Claire’s behalf.
We ask that you give us time to grieve the death of our daughter by respecting our wishes for privacy.
With much loving-kindness,
The Davis Family
Ms. Davis, who was a top student and a highly accomplished equestrian, was a random victim of Karl Halverson Pierson, as we previously reported. Mr. Pierson, 17, was looking for the school’s librarian and his former debate coach, who had disciplined him, when he shot Ms. Davis, who was near the school library.
After the death of Ms. Davis, the family of the gunman, Mr. Pierson issued a short statement: “We are heartbroken to hear of Claire’s passing. Our hearts ache for her family as they deal with unimaginable grief. Our prayers are with Claire’s family & the entire Arapahoe community.â€
Mr. Pierson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the school.
Students continued over the weekend to add to a memorial outside the school for Ms. Davis as tributes to her spread.
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