Park to be renamed in honor of Dayton mass shooting victim in Pennsylvania hometown

The borough of East Washington in Pennsylvania will rename a park next month in honor of a former resident killed in Dayton’s mass shooting.

The community will rededicate the East Washington Borough Park during its Aug. 15 annual picnic to honor community hero Nicholas Cumer, who was gunned down during the Aug. 4, 2019, Oregon District shooting.

Cumer, 25, was enrolled in a graduate program at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa., where he was recognized at the 2019 Community Engagement Awards for students who completed 100 or more volunteer hours. A sousaphone player, he also was a graduate assistant with the university marching band.

Cumer was one of nine victims — five men and four women — gunned down in 32 seconds before police shot and killed the perpetrator.

He was in Dayton for an internship at the Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, which offered him a full-time position to run one of its new offices in the Pittsburgh area, the nonprofit said.

Cumer died reportedly trying to shield his friends from gunfire. The nonprofit confirmed that two employees were shot but they recovered.

The picnic event in East Washington also will include family-friendly activities, including a dunk tank with proceeds benefiting the Nicholas Cumer Scholarship Fund. The scholarship goes to Washington High School students pursuing careers in the medical field, according to a release sent by East Washington Councilman Joseph Fulton.

The Maple Tree Cancer Alliance also established a scholarship fund in Cumer’s name for its interns.

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