'This is a tough one:' Hundreds mourn Ojai teen killed in Isla Vista fall
Under a spreading tree outside Nordhoff High School's performing arts center, hundreds gathered Thursday night for a candlelight vigil in honor of Benny Schurmer.
The 19-year-old Ojai native died Sept. 2 after falling off a cliff in Isla Vista, the unincorporated community next to UC Santa Barbara.
"This is a tough one," said Nordhoff teacher Bill Wagner, Schurmer's music instructor for six years in middle and high school.
Tapping his heart, he said: "It hits a little harder right here."
As the vigil began, the crowd lit slender white candles, spreading flames from wick to wick like a field of stars emerging after sunset.
Schurmer graduated from Nordhoff in 2022 and was a student at Santa Barbara City College, where he'd just been cast as a lead in a dramatic adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma," his family said.
"Benny was a bright and shining star," said Scott Schurmer, his uncle.
Benny — a musician, actor and dancer — hoped to make a career out of performing. "He was following his passion," his uncle said.
"Look at all these beautiful people here for my son," his mother, Katie Schurmer, said in a short speech, gazing around at Benny's gathered family, friends, classmates, coworkers and castmates.
One by one, they took turns sharing memories.
Larry Nicola, Schurmer's boss at restaurant Ojai Rôtie for several years, said Schurmer treated all of his friends like family.
"I've never seen such a cool guy. Ever,” Nicola said.
"He always seemed to be floating," said Schurmer's friend Kevin McDonald. "He had this weightlessness about him."
A young girl, barely tall enough for the podium, took the mic. "I would tell people I had 12 siblings and he was one of them," Vivie Giuliani said.
The fall occurred shortly before 11 p.m. in the 6700 block of Del Playa Drive, Santa Barbara County Fire Department officials said. Schurmer fell about 40 feet to the beach, where bystanders performed CPR before emergency responders arrived.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause and manner of death remain pending, Santa Barbara County coroner's officials said Friday.
The Edhat news site said Schurmer's death marks the eighth fatal fall from an Isla Vista cliff in the past two decades. Various safety measures over the years have not put a stop to falls from the bluffs.
On Thursday night, Katie Schurmer took in the flickering candlelight and thought of her son.
"He's up there going, 'Gosh darn it, I want to be there,'" his mom told the crowd.
A Facebook page has been set up in Schurmer's memory while a GoFundMe campaign to support the family had brought in more than $63,000 toward a goal of $75,000 as of midday Friday. The family plans to announce a full memorial service at a later date.
This story may be updated.
Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Hundreds mourn Ojai teen killed in Isla Vista fall
