A somber crowd gathered at the corner of German and East 27th Street to honor the life of Marchello Woodard during a "Take Back the Site" vigil — a brief but powerful 15-minute ceremony held to reclaim the space where tragedy struck and bring peace to the community left behind.

“With my support system, and God who has been carrying me through this, it's been hard. It's been... sad. Very sad,” said Chamell Henderson, Marchello’s girlfriend, fighting back tears as she spoke about the pain of losing him. 

“He was my son. My last son,” said Charles Woodard, Marchello’s father, his voice heavy with sorrow. “The community has been backing us up since day one, and I'm so grateful for the community.”

Martha Bradley, Marchello’s mother, stepped forward to share how deeply the loss has shaken her. “There’s no amount of money that could take the place of Marcello,” she said. “These have been the hardest days of my life.”