"I knew [Sicari]. He was one of us. And he killed a baby boy," she said.

"It's only going to get worse and no one's going to do anything about that."

Dugan, who was moderating the event, then approached Whiting and told her he "honestly didn't know" how the city would use its resources differently to protect children.

"I feel hopeless," Whiting said.

The crowd reacted emotionally when a student read a classmate's poem to Jeffrey.

"He was our son, our brother, our friend. Only time will help our hearts to mend," the student read.

School and city officials said a variety of counseling and support options are available for students who want them and officials have scheduled more meetings in the coming weeks and months.

--Material from The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.