Santee community members gathered for a solemn memorial at Santana High School that took place in front of the school's sign, which was adorned with flowers, cards and balloons.

Because the sign sits on public property, Santee Mayor Randy Voepel said prayer was allowed at the memorial.

"This 8-foot [area] here is community property and we can worship God any way we wish," said Voepel.

After asking if anyone from any faith tradition besides the Christian faith wanted to share, Voepel offered a prayer of thanks for the lives of 14-year-old Bryan Zuckor and 17-year-old Randy Gordon, who were killed when then-15-year-old Andy Williams opened fire. More than a dozen others were also injured.

John Heier's son Matthew was a student at Santana High School who was there on that Monday morning when shots rang out. Heier said Matthew was wounded but survived to complete three college degrees.

"I'm just overwhelmed by the amount of people that have shown up today," said Heier at Saturday's memorial. "Ten years later and they're still supportive. It's just amazing."

Michael Ashworth was a senior at Santana High in 2001 who also attended the memorial on Saturday. He told 10News he was with his friend Travis that morning and they were standing near the entrance to the boys' bathroom.

"We saw Andy come out with a gun and start shooting away," said Ashworth.

He said at that point, his gut instinct kicked in.

"I took off running, turned around [and] saw Travis on the ground… [I] went back for Travis, got Travis back up and then Travis went one way and I went the other way," he said.

Ashworth said since then, he has returned to the Santana campus every year on March 5. He said the only difference this year was all the media attention, but for him, some things remained the same.

"It's not really any different this year from last year or 10 years ago," he said. "Every year it hurts. Every year it brings tears to my eyes."

A private memorial was also held on Friday in remembrance of the two victims killed and others injured in the shooting.

The theme of Friday's memorial at Santana High School was "One peace, one heart," and 10 years later, the incident was still extremely emotional for everyone involved. It is the worst school shooting incident in San Diego County history.

Paul Cabading was a junior at Santana High and was there the day when Williams opened fire.

"Just trying to get out … where are my friends, where to go exactly," Cabading said of the chaos that ensued. "I had a coach get shot. Some of the campus security were shot. A couple classmates from the class I was headed to were shot."

"I was shot three times here ... I was one of the first to respond inside the bathroom when shots were fired," said former security guard Peter Ruiz Jr.

Ruiz was shot from behind by Williams, and he has since struggled with post traumatic stress disorder.

"What was going through your mind?" asked 10News reporter Preston Phillips.

"One: I wanted to go home. I wasn't going to die here. I wanted to go home. I wanted to make sure everybody else was safe, get help for everybody," Ruiz said.

"Let us never forget Bryan Zuckor. Let us never forget Randy Gordon. Let us never forget the 13 injured. Let us never forget all the staff and students that helped one another to safety," Peace Council advisor Angela Sciacqua-Smith said at Friday's memorial.

Michelle Zuckor, Bryan's mother, attended Friday's ceremony and said, "It's nice people still think about it."

"How tough is it for you still to this day?" asked Phillips.

"It's better," Michelle Zuckor replied.

The ceremony on Friday lasted about 45 minutes, with the release of doves marking its end. Afterward, those in attendance were led on a walk around the campus by bagpipes.

Cabading said on Friday he feels extremely fortunate, 10 years later, knowing he could have been one of the many shot that day.

"The bathroom that he was coming in and out of was right around the corner of the class we were headed to," Cabading told 10News.

"So you feel pretty fortunate?" asked Phillips.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," Cabading replied.

Criminologist Details Meetings With Santana HS Shooter

Charles "Andy" Williams was 15 years old when he brought a gun to Santana High School in 2001 and opened fire. He killed two boys and wounded 13 others.

Williams was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.

Dr. William Schneid was the criminologist hired to check on Williams shortly after he began his incarceration at the age of 16, as a juvenile in an adult state prison. Schneid's main role was to ensure the prison was abiding by the rules of housing a juvenile.

"He appeared to be an individual still in some state of shock," Schneid said of his initial impression of Williams.

Schneid met with Williams up to several times a week for five months. Williams eventually spoke a little about the shooting, telling Schneid he had no recollection of what had happened. He also talked about the events that led up to it.

"He took responsibility of course for what he had done," said Schneid. "What sort of baffled him was that he had made repeated complaints regarding being bullied -- having his head stuck in a urinal in the boys' room and having older kids urinating all over him -- almost on a daily basis."

Schneid said Williams recalled complaining about the bullying to his counselor, and that Williams had told others about a gun.

"He indicated that he had mentioned to, actually a security guard, as well as several students, that he had planned on bringing a gun to school," said Schneid.

One thing that struck Schneid about Williams was his emotional immaturity at the time.

"I used to describe him as 15 going on 12. You know, he's a kid bringing a stuffed animal to school every day because he perceives that stuffed monkey as his only real friend," said Schneid.

Williams has his own website run by supporters. He called it his lifeline.

On the site, Williams wrote: "Putting children in prison for life is wrong on so many levels and I would hope to use this [website] as a means for people to reach an awareness."

Williams is currently at Ironwood State Prison in Riverside County. He becomes eligible for parole in 2051, when he will be 65 years old.