Candles, pictures and notes of encouragement sat on a softball field Sunday night, in support of an Arizona woman critically injured in the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Jovanna Martinez-Calzadillas remains in a Nevada hospital, recovering from a head injury, according to family members. She has opened her eyes but is still in critical condition.
"She's still here with us," said cousin Aliyana Perez.
Martinez-Calzadillas is married to a Salt River police officer, and friends describe her as a big fan of country music. On Sunday night, dozens of people gathered at Hayden High School to show support. Friends and family told ABC15 Martinez-Calzadillas now lives in San Tan Valley, but grew up in the small community of Hayden, where she graduated from Hayden High School in 2005.
"She was tenacious, she never gave up, and I know that's going (on) right now," said Lydia Martinez, who coached Martinez-Calzadillas in softball during her time at the school.
The small community is rallying together and sending their thoughts and prayers to Las Vegas. When former classmates heard Martinez-Calzadillas was injured in the shooting, they started to plan the vigil as a way of showing support for her and her family.
"When you find out from your friends it's one of your classmates, it's like this just went from something really sad to 'this is us, this is our family, this is our small town," said friend Ginger Chester, who helped organize the vigil.
A family member told ABC15 he hopes Martinez-Calzadillas makes enough progress in her recovery to move from Las Vegas to a Phoenix-area hospital in the next few days.
