FORT WORTH, Texas — Approximately 3,000 people gathered at TCU Wednesday night, according to campus officials, for a vigil that honored Wes Smith.
The TCU junior was killed outside a Fort Worth bar last Friday.
Dr. Ken Corbit, Smith’s Professor, was there.
“Wes was in my marketing and communications class for the semester,” he told WFAA ahead of the vigil.
“[After Wes died,] 15 friends came up to me and told me Wes was their best friend, which shows the character of this individual.”
Corbit said he saw Wes in class the day before he was killed.
“It was devastating because I had seen him Thursday afternoon, and I said, 'Everyone have a safe weekend. Be careful. it’s a holiday weekend, first game,'” Corbit recalled.
“And on his way out, Wes smiled and gave me a fist bump. Then he went and coached football, and then 12 hours later, he was gone. It’s one of those moments you reflect on and say is this real.”
Smith coached middle school football. Several of his athletes attended the vigil, including 14-year-old Oliver Bennett.
“He was always there, he was really funny and stuff,” Bennett told WFAA.
Bennett showed WFAA a photo of stickers his teammates will now wear on their helmets with Wes' initials.
“It makes me happy and sad,” he continued. “Sad that he’s gone, but happy he was my coach.”
Several students attended who never knew Wes but wanted to extend their condolences to his family.
“You never know what might happen,” sophomore Jeremiah Wiskop told WFAA. “We didn’t know him, but we shared close friends with him.”
The campus vigil was private, meaning news cameras were not allowed to film.
Campus staff, though, told WFAA Wes’ parents spoke at the vigil, and urged students not to lose their faith.
Cards were also available for people to write stories about Wes. WFAA is told those cards will eventually be returned to his family.