Exactly five years after a mass shooting at a movie theater killed 12 people and wounded at least 70 others, roughly 80 people gathered for a candlelight vigil near Aurora’s city hall, where they reminisced about victims and thanked first responders.

The 90-minute ceremony, organized by the 7/20 Memorial Foundation, began at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday with an open forum of speakers who shared memories of loved ones affected by the tragedy that unfolded early on July 20, 2012.

“Alex Sullivan was the nicest guy you could have known,” Daniel Hansen told the crowd about his co-worker, who died celebrating his birthday at a premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises.” “I’m happy to see everyone here tonight. You support the families that lost their loves ones. We as a community will not forsake you. We will rise.”

Around midnight, the congregation walked toward the site of the planned 7/20 Reflection Memorial Garden near Aurora’s city hall, where a speaker system amplified short speeches from family, friends and Aurora police officers who responded to the distress call at the theater.

The speakers emphasized hope and resilience in the aftermath of tragedy. Many thanked Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan, in attendance with his wife, and Gov. John Hickenlooper for their calm leadership following the massacre. Praise for police officers drew extended ovations and a chorus of thank yous from the crowd.

After a solemn reading of the 12 victims’ names at 12:16 a.m., the crowd observed a minute of silence, around the time at which a lone gunman began shooting into the crowded theater during a midnight showing of the then-new Batman movie.

Mayor Hogan released a statement in advance of the vigil that called on residents to channel their grief toward higher ends. “I ask that all in Aurora take time to remember the legacies, remember the dreams and remember the lives lost in our community,” he wrote. “I hope that we are all inspired to be more compassionate, caring and thoughtful to family, friends and neighbors.”

In a short speech at the vigil, Hogan added that “this isn’t an anniversary but a commemoration.”

At 12:40 a.m., a procession of police cars drove down East Alameda Drive, to loud applause from the crowd. The officers then parked and walked to white crosses set up near the Aurora Municipal Center in tribute to the victims. Each cross was personalized with the name and photograph of a person killed that night and decorated with handwritten notes from loved ones. Flowers, candles, and mementos gifted by friends and strangers were left at their bases.

Those in attendance largely refrained from naming the shooter — who was sentenced in August 2015 to life in prison plus 3,318 years — or discussing the highly politicized debates on guns and mental health that followed the shooting.

Participants focused instead on survivors, first responders and the legacy of the victims.

“These were 12 amazing, amazing people,” said Kaile Wilson of Aurora, a close friend of victim Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring sportscaster who avoided harm during a shooting at a shopping mall in Toronto the month before she was killed in Aurora. The two bonded over a shared love of hockey and of light-hearted Twitter feuds.

Wilson said she’s reminded of Ghawi every day when watching the Colorado Avalanche or seeing a breathtaking turquoise sky that her friend would have loved.

“Jessie’s probably up there laughing at me right now. That’s just who she was, the kind of warm person we all loved,” Wilson said. “It’s an honor to keep her legacy alive. Our community really deserves it.”

Though vigils honoring victims of the 2012 shooting have become an annual rite in Aurora, many said this year’s gathering carried special significance.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been five years,” said Margie Kiepert, who attended the vigil with Nicole Boltner, a friend from Colorado Community Church, where victim Gordon Cowden regularly attended services.

Though neither woman had known any of the victims, they said they wanted to show support for the community amid its grief.

“It’s important that we tell the families that their loved ones have not been forgotten,” Kiepert said, “that we’re here for them, that we love them still and always will.”