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Tuesday evening, a south Minneapolis neighborhood gathered around a bench to honor the late, avid fisherman that once made a daily pilgrimage to its adjacent lake. 

8-year-old Fletcher Merkel — one of two children killed in the Annunciation Catholic Church and School mass shooting nearly a year ago — loved living near Grass Lake, according to family. 

When people told him there were no fish there, Fletcher set out to prove them wrong. And he did, catching a bullhead last summer. 

“He put it in a bucket and paraded it around the neighborhood, telling everybody he saw that he caught a fish in Grass Lake. He was so proud,” his mother Mollie Merkel said, to smiles from neighbors. 

The Kenny Neighborhood Association gathered donations to install the memorial bench in Fletcher’s honor, according to board chair Barbara Brady, and to show continued support to the Merkel family. 

“We’re here for you for the long term,” Brady said. “If you know anything about grief, you know that there’s a first anniversary and a second and a third, and people go back to their ordinary lives, but you’re still there grieving, and we pledge that we will be there with you for the long term.” 

Visitors on Tuesday evening left offerings for Fletcher: a folded note, a pink plush snake, a book on sharks, and yellow and white daisies. 

A group of Fletcher’s friends sat on the bench while speakers addressed the crowd. After, people took turns looking out onto the water, the setting sun warming their faces. 

The Merkels chose the exact location. Mollie Merkel said the bench overlooks Fletcher’s fishing spot and showcases the sunset, which reminds her of him. 

She hopes it can be a space for peace and reflection for the public. Organizers also want the bench to be a reminder of Fletcher’s joy and love of the outdoors. 

“Let us all believe, like Fletcher, that there is always a fish to be caught somewhere, and that our next big adventure in life is finding out where,” Minneapolis City Council member Linea Palmisano said. 

Earlier in the day, Annunciation Catholic Church and School offered an invitation on social media ahead of Aug. 27, which marks one year since the mass shooting that killed Fletcher and 10-year-old Harper Moyski and injured 28 others. 

 encouraged the public to support the Annunciation community and honor the tragic day through acts of service in their own communities. Examples included helping a neighbor, supporting a food shelf, giving blood or caring for a local park. 

“Wherever you are, we invite you to help bring hope, kindness, and care into your corner of the world. Together, we can honor this day, and Harper and Fletcher, by serving others and continuing to guide our feet into the way of peace,” the post reads.

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The Kenny Neighborhood Association installed a memorial bench at Grass Lake for the 8-year-old killed in the Annunciation Catholic Church and School mass shooting nearly a year ago. 

Stephen Maturen for MPR News

A sign saying Fletcher lays in front of a bench 

Minneapolis bench honors Annunciation victim Fletcher Merkel at his favorite lake

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