Hundreds of friends and classmates of Noblesville High School student Aubrey Peters gathered at the shores of Morse Reservoir to hold a candlelight vigil in remembrance of the teen, who was fatally shot at an Indiana home on Sunday.
Peters, 16, was known locally as a hero for helping save two children who had fallen through the ice at the same lake when she was a seventh-grader, in 2010.
The Indianapolis Star reported, "those who knew Peters spoke of her positive energy, her nonjudgmental personality and her willingness to help those she didn't know."
On Sunday, Peters and two other men were at the home of Jacob Travis McDaniel. According to police, McDaniel was showing off a handgun and a shotgun when, thinking the handgun was empty, he allegedly pointed the weapon at Peters and pulled the trigger.
A bullet struck Peters in the chest. She later died at an area hospital. McDaniel, 20, faces reckless homicide charges in her death.
"Aubrey gave her all into everything. As her boyfriend, I know that," Indiana University freshman Joe Hodson told the Indianapolis Star. "This should not have happened to her. She did not deserve to die. ... She is the kind of person meant to change the world, not die at the age of 16 due to some negligence with a handgun."
Correction: A previous version of this story said that Hodson was present at the house when Peters was shot. He was not.
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