An emotional candlelight vigil at King’s Fork High School Tuesday remembered a student killed in a shooting at a weekend party.

Members of Denisheya King’s family gathered in a circle around a fire pit at the front of the school together with friends and classmates of the teen, 18, killed on St. James Avenue in the early hours of Saturday.

“I just miss my baby,” said Dennis Matthews, the teen’s father. “It’s just a dream. One day I’m going to wake up, and it will all be over.”

Stenette Byrd III, King’s Fork’s principal, told the gathering how he reacted to the news of the tragedy. “I immediately went home and hugged my kids,” he said.

“I hugged so tight that they were begging me to let them go, so I can’t imagine what this family is going through.”

There are lessons to be learned from the tragedy, though, according to Byrd. “Remember to tell your loved ones how much you love them, every day, because you never know when they may be gone tomorrow,” he said.

Family disagreements need to be worked out, he added. “Just remember that life is short, and go ahead and try to resolve those conflicts, because families need to stick together.”

He also spoke about losing a friend when he was in high school, and recounted a time during college when he almost joined friends on a road trip that ended badly.

“Listen to that little voice inside of you that always speaks before something goes wrong,” Byrd said.

Her grandmother, Cynthia Matthews, said King was “just a beautiful child.”

“It was a shock,” she said of the awful news. “We’re just taking it one day at a time, and the Lord is walking with us.”

Several of the slain teen’s cousins were among the 150 or so folks gathered to remember her. One of them, Chetanah Tucker, said King was a “strong and loving” person.

Before the vigil began, several members of Portsmouth-based motorcycle club Afro Dogs, of which King’s father is a member, rode onto the campus and around the circle at the front of the school, revving their engines.

“We’re just here to support him (Matthews), comfort him,” said Frank “Bombsquad” Jackson, the club’s president.

Elke Boone, an assistant principal at the school, said a benediction and prayer. “We come to You with our candles, remembering a beautiful young lady with a beautiful smile,” she said.

Songs played during the vigil included “Melodies From Heaven,” “How Great is Our God” and “The Battle is Not Yours.”

The city Tuesday released no further details on the killing.