A Community United: Remembering The Saugus High School Shooting

Posted by: Jade Aubuchon in Santa Clarita Latest News, Saugus High School Shooting November 14, 2020 - 7:30 am 1 Comment 2,713 Views

One year ago, the Santa Clarita Valley was rocked to its core by the tragic events of the Saugus High School Shooting. Three children were injured and two more were killed by another student, who then took his own life.

On the morning of Nov. 14, 2019, the landscape of the Santa Clarita community was “forever changed” when 16-year-old Nathaniel Berhow walked into the quad of Saugus High School, pulled a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun from his backpack, and opened fire, according to officials with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD).

Two students, 15-year-old Gracie Muehlberger and 14-year-old Dominic Blackwell, were killed as a result of the shooting. Three other students were injured before Berhow turned the gun on himself. He died the next day at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital with his mother at his side, according to a statement issued by the LASD at the time.

A week later, the weapon used in the shooting was determined to be a “ghost gun,” which was assembled from various parts and had no serial number, according to the LASD.

No suicide note has been found, and no concrete motive for Berhow’s decision to injure or kill five other teens on the morning of his 16th birthday has ever been shared with the public.

Gracie and Dominic

In the following weeks and months, the Santa Clarita Valley community would rally around the Blackwell and Muehlberger families. However, nothing could replace the insurmountable loss that they had suffered, as they had become yet another family in a long list of those who have lost their children to tragic school shootings.

The day after the shooting, GoFundMe pages had been set up by the Blackwell and Muehlberger families. Each had raised over $100,000 within a month.

Gracie’s page said that the family’s mission was to “find a way to memorialize our baby girl, Gracie Anne Muehlberger.”

“It is with the most unexplainable brokenness that we share our Gracie went to be with Jesus on Thursday morning,” the page read. “Our vivacious, funny, loyal, light of our lives, Cinderella, the daughter we always dreamed to have, fiercely strong and lover of all things fashionable, was our best friend. She is going to be missed more than words will ever be able to express.”

Gracie’s brother, Riley, who recently graduated from Saugus High School himself, shared how his sister’s humor was his favorite part about her during the Saugus Strong vigil on Nov. 16.

“(She) would always be able to put a smile on my face, and that’s one of the many things I’ll miss the most,” he said. “Thank you for being the best sister ever. I wouldn’t want anyone else.”

Less than two weeks after the shooting, a celebration of life was held for Gracie at Real Life Church in Valencia.

“We have what feels like a hole, or emptiness in our chest,” Bryan Muehlberger, Gracie’s father, said at the time. “We keep asking why, but the answer isn’t here yet.”

Bryan shared a variety of his favorite memories with Gracie, from dancing with her to going on family vacations.

“She was able to make a larger impact on more people and more communities than most of us will do in a lifetime,” he said.

Dominic’s GoFundMe had been set up by his grandparents, Pam and Gene Hall.

“This world lost a bright, shining light… personified by a goofy laugh, cheesy smile and a huge, caring heart. He was taken from his family and friends in the most senseless of ways,” the page read.

Dominic left behind three brothers who “miss their big brother greatly.”

“His parents’ dreams for him will never be realized. Dominic’s family needs this time to pull together and mourn this unexpected loss,” the GoFundMe page reads.

On the same weekend as Gracie’s celebration of life, a similar memorial was held for Dominic.

“A senseless act of violence extinguished the lives of two beautiful young people,” Gene said at the service. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Gracie Muehlberger as they mourn the loss of their dear Cinderella.”

Gene described his grandson as “a kid with an infectious laugh, a bright smile and a kind heart.”

“A lot will be said, proposed, and done in the coming weeks and months regarding the issues that were raised by this tragedy. But that’s not why we’re here today,” he said at the time. “We’re here to commemorate the life of our son, our big brother, our grandson, our nephew, our friend.”

As the sun set over the Santa Clarita Valley on Sunday, Nov. 17, over 15,000 people gathered at Central Park to hold a vigil, lighting up the sky with blue and silver glow sticks in honor of the victims of the Saugus High shooting.

This would become the largest gathering in the history of the Santa Clarita Valley. Music, prayers, and testimonials from the victims and their families filled the night in a moment of unity.

Over the last year, the Muehlberger family has worked hard to establish The GracieStrong Foundation, and was officially incorporated on Oct. 10, 2020 – which would have been Gracie’s 16th Birthday.

“We have filed for our non-profit status and hope to have it approved in early 2021,” read a Facebook post from the foundation. “The Mission of The GracieStrong Foundation is to empower, inspire and support individuals to speak up, realizing their voice is powerful and matters, and enable them to fight for their values, have their voices heard, and impact change for their future.”

The families joined the California Attorney General in September to announce a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), in order to crack down on “ghost guns” that skirt laws requiring background checks and age verification.

Gracie’s father Bryan had never heard of a “ghost gun” before his daughter’s death at the hands of another student.

“Anyone, and I mean anyone, can buy these totally unregulated kits with just an internet connection and a credit card, and that’s how my daughter’s killer got his murder weapon,” Muehlberger said.

The suit aims to force the ATF to reclassify these ghost guns as firearms in order to prevent “those who pose the greatest threat of violence” from purchasing guns.

The Muehlberger family also commissioned world-renowned artist, Colette Miller, to paint an interactive Angel Wings mural on the walls of one of the exterior buildings at Saugus High School in honor of Gracie, with a SpongeBob memorial for Dominic planned for the wall right next to the Angel Wings.

The Blackwell family has worked hard to support Saugus High students in honor of Dominic. The Dominic Michael Blackwell (DMB) Foundation Scholarship and Chromebook Program selected several students to receive funding, educational assistance, or Chromebooks to allow them to be more successful in their online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo by Michael Brown/KHTS News.

Saugus Shooting Survivors

For the survivors of the Saugus High shooting, the recovery process is ongoing. Physical wounds may have healed, but the impact of that Thursday morning is not so easily scarred over.

Dominic Blackwell’s best friend, 15-year-old Mia Tretta, was shot once in the lower abdomen. The two had been hanging out in the Saugus Quad before class when the shooting started.

“I convinced myself it was a drill. That’s pretty much how I stayed calm, because if it’s not real then there’s nothing to worry about,” Tretta remembered. “I could feel some sort of pressure on my stomach but I was like ‘Don’t look at it.’ I touched it and it was a little bit wet, and I was like ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s a drill just a little bit realistic.’”

Other students and the teacher who helped treat her in the immediate aftermath remember how she kept asking them to tell emergency responders to help Dominic, even as her peers worked to treat her own wound.

“He was honestly the best person I’ve ever met,” Tretta said.

In the time since the Saugus Shooting, Tretta has lifted her own voice in support of positive change, working for reform, especially in the case against “ghost guns,” alongside “Everytown for Gun Safety,” a nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control and against the gun violence that took the life of her best friend.

“I wish I got to know Gracie better, and I wish I got to know a lot of people better, so it’s a good thing to kind of open your eyes and see all the people in front of you and try to get to know all of them,” Tretta said. “Remember that life is short and you want to get to know as many people as many stories as you can because everyone is interesting, everyone is unique.”

15-year-old Andrew Gardetto was shot once in the right thigh. He remembers that at first he thought another student was playing a practical joke with a bb-gun.

“By the point I started running, that was pretty much the point where I had a feeling that I was shot,” Gardetto said. “I was trying to keep myself calm, as Young Marines taught me in an emergency, keep your mind and body calm, so I tried to keep my mind and body calm in the situation. But it was very difficult.”

Gardetto said that the trauma and adrenaline going through him helped him run to safety despite his wound. He only thought he might have pulled a hamstring, and it wouldn’t be until paramedics came in that he would realize that he’d been shot.

Gardetto knew Dominic through the Air Force Junior ROTC program that the two took part in, and noted that he was a happy, caring person, adding that even through the hard times that have plagued the community in the past year, the people who live on are not alone.

“Even in this hard time we should always remember Gracie and Dominic and how they are always with us and in a way supporting us getting through this,” Gardetto said.

Therapy has been instrumental to both Gardetto and Tretta as they processed the events of Nov. 14 over the past 12 months. Both of them have credited the techniques that they have learned in helping them manage the trauma that they experienced, as well as the grief and sudden limelight that was thrust upon them.

14-year-old Addison Koegle was shot twice, but recovered from her injuries. In a video aired during the vigil at Central Park mere days after the shooting, Addison recalled her longtime friendship with Gracie, and a newfound friendship with Dominic Blackwell.

“I have known Gracie Ann Muehlberger for six amazing years, and I know pretty much everything about her. I’ve only known Dom since about September, but it’s felt like a lifetime because we became such fast friends,” she said at the time.

Koegle has since moved out of state with her family, but even though she might be physically removed from Saugus High School, she still holds the memories of her best friend close to her heart. The song she wrote for Gracie can be heard at the end of the KHTS remembrance video.

Central Park Memorial

The push to dedicate Central Park in memory of Gracie and Dominic began back in July, when the Muehlberger and Blackwell families created a petition to have the City Council vote and approve the dedication of the park from its current name of “Central Park” to “Central Park – In Memoriam of Gracie Muehlberger and Dominic Blackwell.”

The park served as the reunification point for Saugus High students and their families on the day of the shooting, as well as the site where 15,000 people gathered for a vigil in honor of the victims, the largest gathering in the history of the Santa Clarita Valley.

“Central Park is where we stood side by side in solidarity,” Frank Blackwell, Dominic’s father noted during the public comment segment of a City Council meeting. “We made a promise to never forget, it is our greatest wish to honor that promise. This park is where Dominic learned to ride a bike… and where our families visit to find temporary solace.”

Other ways of memorializing Gracie and Dominic were suggested, including the involvement of Santa Clarita’s Arts Commission to incorporate an installment of a monument of some kind in the future. Councilmember Marsha McLean offered the idea of a park bench donning a memorial to the two teens near the park’s entrance as well.

In the end, the City Council voted unanimously to add Gracie and Dominic’s names to Central Park, as well as to look at how to further memorialize the two in the future.

A Community United

In the wake of the sudden tragedy, the Santa Clarita community came together in a way that may say they had “never seen before.”

“There is a pride and spirit in Santa Clarita that is very special,” McLean said during the Saugus Strong vigil. “Saugus, you have a fabulous school with fabulous spirit and pride, and I know that you will not let anything take that away from you.”

On the day of the shooting, support resources were open to students and community members at The Activities Center on Centre Pointe Pkwy. The Samuel Dixon Family Health Center also opened their support groups to those affected. Elevate Church also had a therapist and psychologist available in aid, the very same day.

Across the valley, several separate vigils were held to honor those who died and lift up those who had survived. Grace Baptist Church, Sri Siddhi Vinayaka Temple in Valencia and others held their own respective vigils.

“In the face of unspeakable violence, we have united to care for each other and to begin the slow process of healing, knowing that none of us will really ever be the same again,” Vicki Engbrecht, superintendent for the William S Hart Union High School District, said at the time.

The #SaugusStrong logo began to be displayed all over the valley, from the marquees on Santa Clarita public transit buses, to various billboards and signs posted throughout the city, to shirts, sweatshirts, and hats worn by thousands of residents.

Dozens of celebrities from the entertainment industry sent words of encouragement to the students of Saugus High School, including the likes of Will Ferrell and Elizabeth Olsen.

“We are thinking about you guys,” Will Ferrell said in his video. “We are pulling for you guys, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.”

Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised through the Santa Clarita Coalition by various organizations and individuals throughout the valley, with all of the money raised through the Coalition set to go to the families of the victims.

Students at Saugus High returned back to classes on Dec. 2, less than two weeks after the shooting.

“As we enter our campus today, we know that things will not be the same as when we stepped on, and likely in the future it will never be the same,” Tyler Nilson, executive vice president for the Saugus High Associated Student Body (ASB) at the time, said at a press conference that day. “This is not an issue that will be overcome in days, weeks or even months.”

Mia Tretta and Addison Koegle thanked the teacher who saved Mia’s life with a special visit in January.

Andrew Gardetto still wishes to thank the paramedic who helped treat him on the ride to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, and especially for the conversation they had.

“I really would just like to thank the person who was riding in the ambulance with me, he helped keep me calm, it was really a stressful and confusing time for me,” said Gardetto. “He talked to me, he asked what my interests were after high school, kept me calm and we just had a conversation to keep my mind off of what happened.”

Over the past year, members of the community have stepped up to recognize the loss and trauma of the lives suddenly lost last November. From artwork, to donation drives, to mental health and wellness resources, the students, community organizations, and residents of Santa Clarita have all taken part in supporting each other.

During the week of Nov. 9 – 13, the Hart District has dedicated itself to recognizing the importance of mental heal and wellness, with the ultimate goal of providing students, staff and community members with a path forward, and to reflect on the way the people of the Santa Clarita Valley have come together in the aftermath of tragedy.

“What we want to do is to continue to focus on how much this community supports each other, loves each other, and is coming together,” said Dave Caldwell, spokesperson for the District in a previous story. “It’s good to see that although we have high school rivalries, all the high schools are coming together and supporting each other, the junior high schools are coming together and supporting each other. It’s that unity that makes this community so great, and with this remembrance, we wanted to emphasize this unity of community that we live in.”

The Unity of Community Wellness Week is set to culminate in a virtual remembrance produced by Saugus High’s Saugus News Network, which is expected to air at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, featuring speakers, music, and other remembrance content, according to the William S. Hart Union High School District.

For more information on the Gracie Strong Foundation, the Dominic Michael Blackwell Foundation, or their mission to give back to the community, visit the websites.

Anyone seeking information about mental health resources available in the Santa Clarita Valley can click here. There are 24-hour phone numbers available. In the event of an emergency, 911 should always be the first call. Those looking to speak with someone can call: