Leaders, survivors, and the community gather to remember OKC bombing, 30 years later

Three decades after the bombing that shook Oklahoma and the nation, more than a thousand people gathered Saturday morning inside First Church in downtown Oklahoma City to remember the 168 lives lost and honor the heroes who responded in the aftermath.

The church, with a capacity of around 1,400, filled early, as people began lining up before 8 a.m. News 9’s Alex Cameron, reporting live from the scene, described a long line of attendees stretching as far as the eye could see.

Familiar faces of history

Among those present were faces rarely seen in public in recent years but forever linked to April 19, 1995. Charlie Hanger, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper who famously pulled over Timothy McVeigh 78 minutes after the bombing, was in attendance. So was Calvin Moser, one of the key witnesses who testified against McVeigh at trial.

The event featured reflections from three prominent figures who led Oklahoma through its darkest days: former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick, former Governor Frank Keating, and former President Bill Clinton. All three are widely praised by Cameron for their leadership in the days following the attack, a period defined by unity and resilience.

Legacy of Oklahoma City

The gathering was part of a larger day of remembrance across Oklahoma City, marking the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building — the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

Today, Oklahomans continue to reflect not only on the lives lost but on the strength, support, and determination that defined their response — a legacy that remains as powerful today as it was in 1995.