Claire Davis Dies After Arapahoe Shooting; Her Parents, Parents of Gunman Issue Statements
Claire Davis, 17, succumbed to her injuries following being shot in the head at point-blank range by a classmate at Arapahoe High School on December 13. Her parents, and the parents of the gunman, have both issued statements about the young girl's life and impact on the community.
"Although we have lost our precious daughter, we will always be grateful for the indelible journey she took us on over the last 17 years – we were truly blessed to be Claire's parents," the Davis family said in a statement on Facebook. "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."
Davis was shot in the head by classmate Karl Pierson, who came to the school allegedly seeking revenge against a teacher who dismissed him from the debate team. He shot Davis and struck another student before turning the gun on himself and ending his life. Davis was taken to a nearby hospital but remained in a coma the entire time.
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The community gathered to pray and offer support for the young girl and her family, but they made the decision to take her off life support, and she passed away on Saturday.
"We are heartbroken to hear of Claire's passing. Our hearts ache for her family as they deal with the unimaginable grief," Barbara and Mark Pierson, Karl's parents said in a statement. "Our prayers are with Claire's family & the entire Arapahoe community."
The Davis family is taking time to reflect on their experience of grief and support and hope that Claire's life will continue to cause change and leave a legacy for those she met, and even those she didn't.
"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," the family wrote. "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."
