NORFOLK, Va. — It's been three years since the Pulse Nightclub shooting and for some locals, it still feels like it just happened.
Now, add the Virginia Beach shooting and these same locals say there's lots of healing that needs to be done.
One of the people who joined Wednesday's memorial was Mariela Crespon Williams. Her cousin Brenda Lee Marquez McCool was killed at the Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016 along with 48 others.
"One of her daughters had texted me to tell me that mommy is dead and I was like 'What are you talking about'? I cried for a good minute, you know?" she said.
So every year since she's joined by other people in Hampton Roads to remember those victims.
The organizers invited everyone to join them in honoring these victims.
"The Pulse shooting felt very close to our hearts," said Amy St. George.
She said they know people like Williams, and others in the LGBTQ community, need the healing still.
"If people anywhere can be targeted for who they are, then any of us can be targeted for who we are," she said.
"We are allowed to feel this way. We are allowed to grieve for lost queer brothers and sisters," said Connor Norton, one of the organizers.
Their grieving this year came with a 50th picture, one to honor those killed here in Virginia Beach at the Municipal Center.
"Virginia Beach isn't just close to home, it is home. So we wanted to make sure those people are remembered and honored," said Sarah Hustead, another organizer.