Elgin honors Orlando victims with candlelight vigil

Elgin stood in silent solidarity Sunday night with the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando.

A candlelight vigil in Civic Center Plaza, between city hall and the Hemmens Cultural Center, was held to show support for those affected by the June 12 tragedy at Pulse nightclub in downtown Orlando, as well as the the gay, Muslim and Latino communities.

The attack claimed 49 lives, making it the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

The vigil was organized by the city's human relations commission, the group Elgin City of Peace and the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders.

Scheduled speakers included Mayor David Kaptain; Judge John Dalton, a recipient of a community leadership award from the Illinois State Bar Association's standing committee on sexual orientation and gender identity; Mahzer Ahmed of the Batavia Islamic Center; Rabbi Margaret Frisch Klein of Congregation Kneseth Israel-Elgin; the Rev. Denise Tracy of the Coalition of Elgin Religious Leaders; and Elisa Lara, president-elect of the Elgin Hispanic Network and a member of the human relations commission.