Funeral for nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus will be first for Nashville shooting victims

Loved ones described Evelyn as a ‘shining light’ and invited guests to wear joyful hues in tribute to her ‘love of color’

The first funeral service will be held on Friday afternoon for the victims of this week’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, as the shocked and grieving city continued to mourn the dead after the horrific attack.

Nine-year-old Evelyn Dieckhaus will be memorialized on Friday and laid to rest on Saturday in a private burial, with her loved ones describing the sporty girl as a “shining light” and inviting guests to the funeral service to wear pink or other joyful hues in tribute to her “love of color”.