SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A San Diegan who was killed in the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar was honored Thursday on the anniversary of the attack, both in Coronado and Thousand Oaks.
Justin Meek's family attended a large public dedication ceremony for the Healing Garden in Thousand Oaks, a park and permanent memorial site with 12 stone slabs representing the victims.
"It's not that we are moving on, but that we are moving forward," Meek's father Roger said in an interview.
RELATED: Coronado native among victims of the Thousand Oaks bar shooting
Meek, a promoter and occasional security guard at the bar, broke out windows so others could escape when gunfire erupted last November, according to family members.
Witnesses said Meek had his hands outstretched, trying to block the gunman when he was shot.
"All Justin ever wanted to do was serve and protect, and that's what he did that night," said his mother Laura Lynn Meek.
RELATED: Family remembers local Borderline shooting victim
Meek had plans to join the Coast Guard, and he worked as a lifeguard in Coronado. On Thursday, artist Bill Pavlacka built a sand sculpture in Meek's honor outside the main lifeguard tower.
"Sometimes people just don't take a moment to sit back and reflect," he said.
