NORWALK, Conn. Hundreds of Brien McMahon High School graduates returned to the school Friday night to remember their "beloved Kuta," a classmate who Norwalk Police say died suddenly early Friday after he was struck by two cars while he was running across the Route 7 connector.
"Anyone who knew him knew that even though he didn't always make the right choices his heart was in the right place," the Rev. John Livingston said as he addressed the crowd that had assembled at the Jack Casagrande football field for a hastily organized candlelight vigil. The comment drew knowing laughter from many of the more than 500 friends and family members gathered in the bleachers.
James "Kuta" Shaw, 21, of 10 Warren St., was a member of the class of 2008. "He was one in a million," said Steven Annunziato, a teacher and coach at McMahon. "He had a smile that could light up a room. He was a wonderful football and lacrosse athlete here for us at McMahon. Really, everyone loved him and thought he was a good friend of theirs, that's the kind of kid he was. Everyone thought he was a really good friend so this tragedy is really hitting home."
The vigil was organized in just a few hours, primarily over social media. "The amount of people here is an incredible tribute to Shaw, said Annunziato. "This is really moving to see his classmates come back and all of his friends. It's an incredible tribute, I think, to a really special guy."
Rocci Cundari graduated with Shaw and had known him since seventh grade. Looking at the people coming in, Cundari said, "I wish he knew how much everybody liked him."
After Livingston's remarks, the crowd came out of the bleachers to form a circle around the Brien McMahon "M" in the middle of the field. Flowers were placed on the 50-yard line, and the No. 1 41 on the scoreboard referred to Shaw's jersey number on the lacrosse team.
Annunziato spoke, drawing laughter from the young people when he said he wasn't sure it was a good idea to let Shaw play lacrosse. "I said, 'I don't think it's really a good idea to give Kuta a stick,'" he said. "He can run around with that stick and hit people."
He loved coaching the young player. "I can remember that beautiful smile, and I can remember that even when I was mad at him I couldn't stay mad at him for long," Annunziato said. "...It was a great joy and pleasure to know him and to be a small part of his life."
In some ways, the gathering served as a reunion. One man standing on the field before the vigil filled in a friend, saying, "I did a year in Afghanistan and came back last November."
"I'm seeing kids tonight that I haven't seen probably in 10 years," Annunziato said. "It's really unbelievable to see the amount of kids who are here in such a short time. It speaks to how he lived. It's really a bittersweet night, to see them is very helpful to know why we're all come together. It's really, really sad. ... It's an amazing tribute and incredible energy here tonight."
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