Governor Abbott, other politicians join the Allen community at a vigil to honor the victims of the shooting

ALLEN (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Thousands of mourners packed Cottonwood Creek Church Sunday night to remember the eight victims killed in Saturday’s shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets.

John Mark Caton, a senior pastor at Cottonwood Creek, led the vigil service, offering support to a broken community with a wide range of emotions.

And while some attended to try to make sense of the tragedy, others came to ring against lawmakers like Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.

On two separate occasions, protesters had to be escorted out by police for yelling at them.

And they weren’t alone. Outside the church, a less confrontational but equally outspoken group gathered, demanding gun reform laws.

“I know they will be in pain forever, and I don’t know if you can get out of that pain to pressure politicians in the State of Texas to do anything about it,” demonstrator Sam Richard said.

At the end of the vigil, many were left with mixed emotions and thoughts about how much he accomplished in terms of healing.

“It helped us reflect on what was happening, but we have to move forward and we have to come together and be there for each other and that’s what Allen is about,” said attendee Kasey Hendricks.

But Allen resident Shirin Ehsani said the vigil did nothing. “This has done nothing…we need political change…we need more than thoughts and prayers.”

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