-- It was cold and blustery outside St.
But Kelly Schmitt, 15, preferred the wind and rain to the heart-wrenching sounds of grief that echoed inside the sprawling church, where family and friends came to say goodbye to Aaron Rollins, the 17-year-old who was gunned down last week at Rocori High School.
"I don't want to start crying again. It took me a long time to stop, and I'm afraid I'll start again," said Schmitt, a Rocori High sophomore who lingered outside for most of the service.
The church, located just a few blocks from the high school, probably couldn't have fit one more person inside for the funeral. Five days after Rollins and ninth-grader Seth Bartell were shot, allegedly by a fellow student, more than 1,500 people jammed St. Boniface to pay their respects, according to the Cold Spring Police Department.
Aaron Rollins' funeral processionRichard SennottStar Tribune"Every nook and cranny is filled," said Cold Spring Police Chief Phil Jones, who at one point took a faint student outside to cool off, away from the body heat generated by so many people.
Bartell, 14, who was shot above the left eye, remains in critical condition at a St. Cloud hospital. Rollins died shortly after a bullet struck him in the neck on Wednesday morning. Jason McLaughlin, 15, a Rocori ninth-grader, has been charged with second-degree murder in juvenile court in connection with the shootings.
"This is still such a shock to everyone," said Jim Bertelsen of St. Cloud, who said he knows the Rollins family and often saw Aaron, a Subway employee, when he stopped to eat at the Cold Spring sandwich shop. "It's such a tragedy. It makes you realize how fragile life is.".
A number of dignitaries also came to the funeral, which occurred as schools around the state flew their flags at half-staff at Gov. Tim Pawlenty's request. .
One speaker was the Rev. John Kinney, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Cloud. U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy also attended.