A precious life, lost senselessly, is mourned
EAST BRIDGEWATER -- Across from the high school she left three years ago, in a church where muffled sobs punctuated a somber silence, Victoria E. Snelgrove was recalled yesterday as a young woman of promise, energy, and generosity.
The funeral for the 21-year-old Emerson College junior, fatally shot by a pepper pellet fired by police outside Fenway Park last week, included harsh criticism for the destructive fans who tarnished the celebration of the Red Sox's pennant-clinching win over the New York Yankees.
"Why did this have to happen? I don't know why," the Rev. Walter F. Keymont said in his eulogy at St. John's Catholic Church. "Some people feel it's their God-given right to riot, to destroy property, and cause mayhem. There are a lot of questions I don't know the answer to."
In the church, where 500 mourners filled a semicircle of pews, words and thoughts of family, friends, and dignitaries were focused on a victim who commuted to Boston from her home each day to pursue a dream of becoming a broadcast journalist.
"Torie was sensitive, sincere, and a compassionate individual," said Danielle Kotzias, who described herself as Snelgrove's best friend at Emerson. "She cared a lot about what was going on. It is hard to find people that truly care about you."
As an organ played "Here I Am, Lord," a silver casket was borne into the church, as her parents and family, several of them weeping, followed in a somber procession. Among the mourners were Governor Mitt Romney, Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston, and Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O'Toole, who sat in the front row.
The death has hit hard in East Bridgewater, a quiet town 30 miles from Boston. Snelgrove, who would have turned 22 on Friday, was a 2001 graduate of East Bridgewater High School, where yesterday a message board outside read: "Torie we will miss you EBHS."
About 25 Emerson students rode a bus to the funeral from Boston, reminiscing about a friend who had studied hard and lifted the spirits of her fellow journalism majors with warmth and sincerity.
"Maybe some people are too beautiful to be here on Earth for long; God had a different plan for her," said Rachel Gabrielson, codirector of the college's student news organization.
"I can't say I've ever been to a funeral where people have been just so in shock," said Brett Finnell, an Emerson senior. "This one just kind of hit me. Everybody -- you could see they all had a question on their face, and the question was why. It wasn't like a closure thing. It was, 'Why?' Everybody just was stunned."
Some of Snelgrove's friends wore pictures of her attached to their lapels. By the end of the service, most of the students were praying, crying, passing around tissues, and holding one another. Then they joined a procession to the Brockton cemetery where Snelgrove was buried.
Snelgrove died after being shot through the eye by a pellet filled with pepper powder as police tried to disperse tens of thousands of people who had gathered near the ballpark early Thursday, following the Red Sox victory. Boston police are investigating the shooting, which they have described as an accidental death involving a "less lethal" weapon.
Her death prompted an outpouring of pleas for celebrating fans to behave better and for police to better control the crowds if the Red Sox defeat the St. Louis Cardinals for Boston's first World Series win in 86 years.
Several students at the funeral said their college-age peers and the police must learn from Snelgrove's death.
"Red Sox fans need to learn how to celebrate and how to have a good time," Finnell said. "How can you say you love the Red Sox and start tearing down the city? If you really loved this team, you'd be kissing the city."
Law enforcement also must take stock of its actions, he said.
"Make sure that people are trained in this kind of situation. It can't happen again; it can't," Finnell said. "This is the second time in the year that we've celebrated and somebody's died."
After the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl in February, 21-year-old James Grabowski from West Newbury was killed when he was struck by a car during a postgame melee near Northeastern University. Mindful of that tragedy, police pledged to have a larger, better-coordinated presence on the streets following the comeback triumph of the Red Sox over the Yankees.
An estimated 80,000 people, mostly college-age, flooded the Fenway Park and Kenmore Square neighborhoods after the victory. When fans started setting fires, climbing the ballpark walls, and throwing bottles at police, witnesses said, police responded with pepper pellets fired from compressed-air guns.
Authorities said Boston police had never previously used the crowd-control weapons outside training.
"This week was supposed to be the best week ever after the Sox won, but now I can't even watch the games," Gabrielson said. "It has been ruined for me. How can I celebrate the city and our boys? Now, one of our friends is dead."
Globe correspondent Jack Encarnacao contributed to this report.
