Hundreds turn out to mourn Conor

Springfield, Mass (WWLP) - It was a night filled with tears and sadness as Conor Reynolds' friends and loved ones paid their final respects.

Hundreds  of friends, relatives, teammates and even strangers stood in line for hours Thursday night to support the family, and bid the young soccer star farewell. The line outside the Hafey Funeral Home stretched all the way around the parking lot.

The 17-year old Cathedral High School student was fatally stabbed in the neck Saturday night inside the Blue Fusion Bar and Grill, when he was trying to break up a fight on the dance floor, according to police. On Wednesday, police arrested and charged 20 year-old Eric Denson with his murder.

The father of Justin Gordon, a Springfield teen who was shot and killed in February, was just one of many supporters at the wake on Thursday night.

“It's very hard, because it was a cowardly act. But this is a different society today where they (the kids) have to prove something," Gordon told 22News.

Many of the hundreds who attended Conor Reynolds wake didn't even know the young victim. 22News spoke with several friends of the victims' mother Kate. They say it's been a long few days, and share how the family is coping.

“Well, as you can imagine, they're putting up a good front, but I'm sure they're still somewhat in shock, and can't believe this happened," Jennifer Ayre said.

Another friend of the family, Carol Anderson, told 22News, “He was a well loved high school student, and obviously the high school students are coming out to support him.”

A funeral Mass for Conor is scheduled for Friday at Holy Name Church in Springfield. Burial will follow in St. Michael's Cemetery.

Cathedral High School will be in session. However, students who wish to attend the funeral will be allowed to go, if signed out by a guardian and shuttled back and forth to the church.