During the summer and fall of 2002, the senseless violence of two men caused the deaths of thirteen innocent people. Although the tragedies occurred in several parts of the country, sniper fire in the Washington, DC area abruptly ended the lives of ten men and women: James D. Martin of Silver Spring, Maryland; James L. "Sonny" Buchanan of Rockville, Maryland; Prem Kumar Walekar of Olney, Maryland; Sarah Ramos of Silver Spring, Maryland; Lori A. Lewis Rivera of Silver Spring, Maryland; Pascal E. Charlot of Washington, DC; Dean H. Meyers of Gaithersburg, Maryland; Kenneth H. Bridges of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Linda Franklin of Arlington, Virginia; and Conrad E. Johnson of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Their lives, each unique but all too short, are forever part of the community's collective story, alongside the kindness of those who supported their families and strengthened the bonds of community through active compassion.
