Port Aransas neighbors are leaning on each other for strength and healing after experiencing the tragic deaths of three locals, and more crime in their small coastal community in less than a month. Neighbors gathered for a prayer service at Robert's Point Park on Sunday night, seeking peace and hope, following a fatal stabbing involving two out-of-town visitors.
"As long as I've lived here, I've never seen a series of events like we've had happen over here in Port Aransas the last two or three weeks. We've had automobile accidents, we've had a stabbing, we've had a shooting of one of our EMS folks. We're here tonight to pray that our God will come and look over our city," Charlie Zahn, a Port Aransas resident said.
The community of about 3,500 people has been struck by multiple tragedies in recent weeks. On May 10, 61-year-old local grandmother Heather Miller was killed while riding her golf cart by what police say was a drunk driver. On May 26, well-known Port Aransas paramedic Albert "Bert" Howie was shot and killed in Ingleside. Then on May 31, Port Aransas High School student Byron Davis died in a car accident.
"We've lost Heather... We've lost Byron... We've lost Albert," said Kelby McCan, a Port Aransas resident and pastor who led Sunday's prayer service.
The fatal stabbing this past weekend became the breaking point for many in the community.
"This many events in a cluster has been quite distressing," said Karen Decker-Creighton, who helped organize the community prayer service with her husband Mark Creighton.
Decker-Creighton explained why they helped organize the gathering: "It just seemed like the right thing to do and I felt like time was of the essence. And I called Kelby, and he was so willing to come on board."
Many neighbors compared their current grief to what they experienced in Port Aransas during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
"Over the years, being here in Port Aransas, we do see tragedy. We went through Harvey," McCan said.
Zahn echoed this sentiment: "Look what happened in 2017 on August the 25th. Most of us lost houses and businesses and we all came together."
“I just felt we needed to do something. We had done this after Harvey," Decker-Creighton said.
Despite the series of tragedies, the community remains resilient, much like the fighting marlin that serves as the symbol of Port Aransas – a strong, powerful fish that doesn't go down without a fight.
As Sunday night's prayer service concluded with singing, crying, and hugging, neighbors vowed to continue supporting each other through this difficult time, asking for peace and healing in their coastal community.
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