San Bernardino Community Remembers Victims Of School Shooting

SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — A ritual all too familiar in San Bernardino.

A vigil to remember the fallen. This time - a teacher - Karen Smith - and her 8-year-old student - Jonathan Martinez - both killed by a crazed man with a gun. The killer was the Smith's estranged husband - after his rampage he turned the gun on himself. With the tragedy barely 24 hours old there are still many raw emotions.

FULL COVERAGE: San Bernardino School Shooting | Photos

"Karen was a wonderful person, a wonderful teacher and a great friend," a fellow teacher said.

Geraldine Greer's granddaughter was in the room when the killer came barreling in. She says Smith tried to protect her special needs students even as her estranged husband started unloading his gun.

"The teacher was trying to protect them..... she was telling them to cover.....to get down," Greer said.

School principal Yadira Downing says she did what she could to stay strong.

"I had to make sure that I was calm and that they {the children} could see that," Downing said. "I needed to let them know, even with all the madness, that they were going to be OK."

San Bernardino City Unified Superintendent Dale Marsden announced at the vigil that the 9-year-old wounded in the shooting was awake and watching cartoons in the hospital.