This undated photo released by the Knox County Schools, high school football player Zaevion Dobson, 15, was shot to death Thursday night, Dec. 17, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn., as he shielded three girls from gunfire in a shooting spree. Dobson, a sophomore at Fulton High School in northern Knoxville, was "a fine, fine young man," said Fulton High School football coach Rob Black. (Knox County Schools via AP)
KNOXVILLE - Hundreds gathered in Knoxville to pray for peace after the shooting death of a high school football player.
Sunday's gathering at Fulton High School was the latest public response after Zaevion Dobson was fatally shot Dec. 17 in Lonsdale as he shielded friends from a barrage of gunfire, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports.
Knoxville police Chief David Rausch said the death of 15-year-old Dobson was part of a series of shootings that night.
Fulton High School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Jody Wright said he was overwhelmed by the response and the turnout for Sunday's event, which he publicized through social media.
"I'm kind of overwhelmed with the response to this," he said. "But I shouldn't be shocked. This community has always stood pretty strong in times of need."
Tony Gunn, Maryville College freshman and Fulton graduate, was one of the hundreds who attended the event to pay respects for Dobson.
"God gave him one purpose and that was to lay his life down to save others," Gunn said about Dobson. Gunn was a former Fulton football player who remembered Dobson as a determined part of the team.
Students at the high school are expected to return to class Tuesday.