A year after fatal shooting, Faro remembers victims with memorial

A fresh layer of snow — the season's first — brightens the landscape during what is an otherwise grim week in Faro, Yukon.

It's been one year since the day the small, quiet community was suddenly thrown into terror and confusion by a gunman on a rampage through town. Two people were killed and another injured.

On Wednesday, the community is holding a memorial to remember the deceased victims — Saengduean Honchaiyaphum, 42, and Patrick McCracken, 73.

Their accused killer, Ralph Shaw, was Honchaiyaphum's estranged husband. Shaw was arrested soon after the shootings and he's still awaiting trial for murder and attempted murder.

"It's a really hard week for me, for my family, for a lot of people," said Kara Went, a longtime friend of Honchaiyaphum, as she spoke to CBC on Tuesday in Faro and struggled to hold back tears.

"Just a lot of sadness, of missing a friend. It's just really hard."

Faro is home to fewer than 500 people and so the shootings affected nearly everyone in town, in one way or another. Some residents are still deeply shaken and dealing with lasting trauma, especially those who witnessed the violence or responded in the immediate aftermath that day.

Mayor Jack Bowers was a long time friend of McCracken, who had been both a town councillor and the town's foreman for many years.

"I miss him, I miss the conversations that we'd share, and his wisdom," Bowers said.

The mayor acknowledged that the grief is still raw for many people in town, and that some are not yet able to talk about what happened or participate in any sort of memorial. He said the town council talked a lot about whether, and how, to mark Wednesday's anniversary of the event.

"We really weren't sure how we should remember [the victims] and in what fashion that should be done," he said.

"For some [residents], they'll need a release, and coming together to share a few tears is maybe what's healthy and what's needed. For others, things are still too raw and they won't be able to come. So we're respectful of that, and trying to meet a need that we perceive is in the community."

On Wednesday afternoon, there is a memorial fire at a gathering place near the school. In the evening, there's a community potluck at the rec centre. 

"There is a healing process, and I think that we're going through that now," Bowers said.

'Just still trying to see the good'

Went and her family have been going through their own healing process. 

Over the years, they've typically all been deeply involved in their community as volunteers with different activities and groups. That changed after the shootings, Went said.

"Honestly, over the past year, I felt like our family pulled inwards, like we let go of all of our volunteer commitments and just focused on healing our family," she said.

"Getting a lot of counselling, and just still trying to see the good."

In the weeks after the shootings, Went became a vocal advocate for more mental health and counselling services for her community. She feels those efforts ultimately paid off — with some effort — as there is now a counsellor based in Faro more regularly. This week, the Yukon government has also sent additional mental wellness and victims services' counsellors to be on hand in town.

"I think it just takes so long for anyone to process it. Like, it's only been a year and sometimes it feels like it was a week ago," Went said.

"I can't really judge how the community feels. I know my family is still really hurting but thanks to the counselling I feel like we're making a lot of progress on that — and I hope a lot of families are too."

She's still reluctant to talk much about her friend Honchaiyaphum and how she died. She feels deeply protective of the privacy of Honchaiyaphum's two daughters, who are still in Faro.

But she's eager to sing the praises of her community. The local population has been growing again in recent years and young families are moving to town. Went said there's a new energy in Faro, with lots of activity at the school and a rec centre that's "hopping all the time." 

"I think that brings back that feeling of yeah, we are a community, and one person can't ruin … can't take that away from us," she said.

Recovering a sense of safety

Larry Baran, the town's chief administrative officer, agrees. He and his wife lived in Faro years ago and decided to move back earlier this year because they loved the community so much. 

They arrived just a few months after the shootings. What Baran's seen and heard since then has only deepened his feelings for Faro. 

"I love and respect the way the community has pulled together," Baran said.

"I'm very proud of the people that responded and the way that they did. They responded more as friends than as emergency responders. They were there. Some of them are still suffering, and my heart goes out to them."

Baran said the incident was so shocking because it threatened to undermine what many people in Faro felt about their small town, and almost took for granted: a sense of safety, and friendship among neighbours. 

That's slowly coming back, he said.

Bowers, the town's mayor, is also keen to ensure Faro is not defined by tragedy, though he acknowledged that what happened a year ago is "going to be a mark on us for some time."

"There's so much about Faro that is so good … We don't want folks to remember Faro just for this incident. Remember us for those good things that we're all very proud of," he said.