PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Loved ones of Melissa Wood gathered at Mickler’s Landing on Friday to honor her memory, one week after she was killed in a double shooting at a Walgreens parking lot in Ponte Vedra Beach.
The vigil brought friends and family together to share stories and memories of Wood. There were tears and even some laughter, which was healing for her daughter Sienna Valdez.
“It was nice to laugh and just share all the good memories and just not cry for, you know, even if it’s just for like an hour,” Valdez explained. “But it was just nice to see all the people that she helped and impacted.”
Dozens stood in a circle and took turns remembering the woman they said touched many lives. Attendees shared memories about Wood’s kindness and the ways she helped others in the community.
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“She was my best friend and it’s funny… I’m like she would know exactly what to do to make me feel better right now. I love her," Valdez shared.
One story that she says stood out to her involved her mother helping someone escape a domestic violence situation.
“My mom actually helped someone here get out of a domestic violence situation that she felt like she couldn’t,” she said. “So my mom saved her...she was a fighter.”
Valdez said her mother’s voice and wishes remain close to her heart, and she believes Wood would want family to avoid anger even as they grieve.
“He did the most unimaginable thing that anyone could have done. But my mom wouldn’t want us to be angry with him. I know ultimately at the end of the day she would want us to forgive him, whether he deserves it or not.”
Police have identified Christian Barrios as the alleged shooter. He is being held in the Nassau County jail and faces charges there, and in St. Johns County, officials said. Authorities say he will go through the court process in Nassau County before he is transferred to St. Johns County.
Wood’s family created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses and other financial obligations, organizers said.