It’s been five years since a man walked into a popular Thousand Oaks nightclub and opened fire with a handgun. 12 people died as a result of the Borderline Bar And Grill rampage.
The passage of time hasn’t lessened the grief, and sorrow for many family members, and friends of the victims.
"It's been the hardest five years of my life," said Laura Lynn Meek. Her 23-year-old son, Justin Meek, was one of the 12 victims of the attack.
She said it still feels like it was yesterday, especially when there are other mass shootings.
"It puts us right back to the phone call that day," said Meek.
Friends who survived the attack say he helped get others to safety, and even shielded others before he was fatally wounded. His sister, Victoria Rose Meek, was also at Borderline the night of the attack, but she escaped uninjured.
He had just graduated from California Lutheran University, where he was a criminal justice major. He wanted to join the U.S. Coast Guard, and then eventually become a U.S. Marshall.
Meek’s death hit the Cal Lutheran campus hard, because he was involved in so many programs and projects. He was well known by the students and staff.. "He was involved with almost every aspect of the college, from starting the line dance club to working in the university's veterans affairs office," said Meek.
Cal Lutheran has a scholarship named after Meek, intended to help criminal justice students. She tries to get out the word to potential students.
"Take what Justin was studying, and learning, and planned on doing, and pass it on," said Meek.
And, on the middle of the campus, in a quiet area of Kingsman Park, there is a memorial dedicated to Justin. It's a bench under a tree.
Meek admits trying to heal is hard, especially because of all of the mass shooting which have happened in the last five years.
"It's like a gaping wound that starts some form of healing, and every time something likes this (a mass shooting) happens, it's as if the wound is torn wide open again," said Meek. "No matter how many years go by, that wound may heal some, but there will always be a terrible scar that will never go away."
Meek said the family thinks about Justin every day. She says they are very much with him, and he is with them.
"We talk about it day in, and day out. There isn't a single day that goes by that we're not talking about Justin...this is something he used to do, or something he would love," said Meek. "That helps keeps the memory alive...because we will never, never not have him as a part of our lives."
