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Prayer, remembrance to mark day when six people were killed in Rock Hill

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Thursday marks one year since six people were killed at a home in Rock Hill.

Dr. Robert Lesslie; his wife, Barbara; their two grandchildren, Adah and Noah; and two HVAC technicians, Robert Shook and James Lewis, were fatally shot by a single gunman.

At 7 a.m. Thursday, First ARP Church in Rock Hill opened its doors for a day of prayer and remembrance. Robert and Barbara Lesslie were pillars within the church.

“We really believe in the light of the grief that we are all still experiencing, prayer unites us with God,” said associate pastor John Oliphant at First ARP Church. “People are confused and still asking questions they don’t understand, and there’s a lot that we don’t understand. We want people to know they can turn to God to find hope in him.”

Community members stopped by the church throughout the day to remember their lives and pray for all of the families impacted by the tragedy.

“Good people, both of them, the whole family. Just a dedicated family to helping people,” neighbor Glorias Robinson said.

She said she volunteered with the Lesslies at the Manor House Pantry in Rock Hill and that Robert had plans to open a small clinic inside.

“He had the room. He had put things in the room -- an examining table and all that kind of stuff,” she said.

Oliphant said his friend, Robert, had a passion for God that fueled his love for others.

“It was very evident. It was not just him doing good for the community, but doing these things in the name of Jesus,” he said.

Dr. Robert and Barbara Lesslie were shot at their home a year ago. The couple’s grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie, were also killed. They were at the home visiting during their spring break.

Two technicians who were working at the home, Robert Shook and James Lewis, were also killed.

The gunman, according to authorities, was former NFL player Phillip Adams. He died by suicide after the attack.

An autopsy showed Adams had Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, caused by repetitive head trauma.

The family of Robert Shook have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Adams’ estate. They have asked for a jury trial and more than $75,000 in damages.

A year later, it’s still not clear why he went to the Lesslies’ home.

Robinson said she is praying for all the families left behind and that the Lesslies will continue their family’s legacy of service.

“Pray that they have peace and that they’re able to keep going on and keep his memory alive,” she said.

On the tragic anniversary, the families of the victims shared a statement expressing their sorrow and their gratitude for the public’s continued support.

Statement from the Lesslie, Alexander, Kulbok, and Miller Families

“It has been a year since our community came face to face with the unbelievable. In the minutes, days, and months since, our family has remained fixed on the eternal hope we have in Christ. The following statement that we shared after the event remains true to this day. It has helped to guide us deeper into fellowship with one another in love. As CS Lewis has said, “come further up, come further in.”

On behalf of the Lesslie, Alexander, and Kulbok clans, we would like to address the outpouring of heartbreak, shock, grief, and support from our family, friends, and community.

We are truly in the midst of the unimaginable. The losses we are suffering cannot be uttered at this time.

While we know there are no answers that will satisfy the question “why,” we are sure of one thing: we do not grieve as those without hope. Our hope is found in the promise of Jesus Christ, and we are enveloped by peace that surpasses all understanding. To that end, our hearts are bent toward forgiveness and peace. Toward love and connectedness. Toward celebration and unity. We honor all of those involved in this story with prayers and compassion specifically for the Shook family, the Lewis family, and the Adams family.

As Robert Lesslie would say, when peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, it is well with my soul.

If you would like to do something for the family,

Adah and Noah would want you to stock the free pantries and libraries in your community.

Barbara and Robert would want you to be good stewards of what you are given, leaving every place better than it was before you got there.

Adah, Noah, Barbara, Robert, and the rest of the family would ask any memorials or gifts to be sent to Camp Joy North Carolina (918 South Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville, SC 29607) in honor of hope and the promise of eternity.”

Gaston County company honors two HVAC workers killed in shooting

It was a somber day at Gaston Sheet Metal, as they remember Robert Shook and James Lewis who died doing their jobs.

James’s father, Tom Lewis, said the last year has been a blur for him. He said the agony of losing his son feels as close as just stirring up from a dream.

“I’ll never be over it,” he said. “At times, it seems like I should be waking up from a dream or a nightmare.”

James was a single father and a loving son.

He was an expert HVAC technician making a routine call at the Lesslies’ home, with his co-worker Robert Shook, when the shooting happened.

“I lost my only child, my son and best friend. I often wonder whether I will truly find happiness,” Tom said.

(WATCH BELOW: ‘I’ll never be over it’: Tom Lewis remembers his son, James)

He said his world stopped that day, and everything stopped Thursday morning as the Lewis family gathered at GSM for a moment of silence. Every GSM truck on the road pulled over and nothing moved companywide for two minutes.

Seeing the support to honor the men lost moved Tom and so did the people who gave thousands of dollars to both families at their darkest hour.

“I had just experienced evil in its truest form,” Tom said.

Yet during that time, he said people he didn’t even know reached out to help.

“People would drive by and hand me an envelope with hundreds of dollars in it,” Tom said.

While he said nothing could ever make up for his loss, that generosity helped.

James’ oldest child is taking early college classes in high school. Channel 9′s Ken Lemon learned his siblings are doing the same. Tom said the money raised will make sure their college expenses are covered.

(WATCH BELOW: York County mass shooting: Suspect found in killings of 2 kids, 3 adults)