On May 18, 2018, Christian Riley Garcia was one of 10 killed in Santa Fe. His mother, Shannan Claussen, still struggles with the day.
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"I just take it day by day," Claussen said.
As the anniversary approaches, Claussen is trying to focus on something else. A filmmaker contacted her about turning her son's story into a movie.
"I was excited that someone wanted to share his story," Claussen recalled.
The filmmaker is Brandon Smith. He was in college when the Santa Fe shooting took place.
After seeing what happened, he wondered how he could help.
"Riley's story sticks out," Smith said. "As a 15-year-old being forced into a position where you have to act as a hero."
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Witnesses told Claussen her son guided classmates into a closet where he used himself as a barricade. A selfless act soon to be featured in the movie appropriately titled, love thy neighbor.
"That really resonated with me," Smith recalled. "That really inspired me."
Smith's movie is still in production. He's looking to raise money to help him complete it. He hopes to release it to film festivals by the end of the year. Although it might be tough, Claussen can't wait to see it, and so many others live by the message her son left behind.
"Do something for someone else," Claussen said. "If he could do something for somebody else he always would. That was what he did since he was little. That is who he was."
SANTA FE STRONG: Remembering the victims of the Santa Fe High School shooting
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