Chris Lane, 22, of Australia was studying in the United States on a baseball scholarship at East Central University. As he was jogging in the small town of Duncan, Okla., on August 16, when three teens allegedly decided to kill him just because they were bored. Lane died in the drive-by shooting, two weeks before his 23rd birthday.
A funeral was held for the young man in his native Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday. His father, Peter Lane, urged mourners not to hold onto outrage at the unfairness of the murder.
“What has happened to Chris is just not fair but hanging on to it will not help,” he said, according to Australian broadcaster ABC. Lane said he taught his son this lesson when the boy, 14 years old at the time, missed out on a baseball selection.
“He understood it wasn’t always fair, but he knew nothing was gained by hanging on to it,” he said. “In part that is what I’m using to help me now.”
Hundreds attended the funeral, including Lane’s girlfriend, Sarah Harper of Oklahoma.
U.S. President Barack Obama gave a statement to Australia’s Herald Sun over the weekend.
White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said: “As the President has expressed on too many tragic occasions, there is an extra measure of evil in an act of violence that cuts a young life short. The President and First Lady’s thoughts and prayers are with Chris Lane’s family and friends in these trying times.”
