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After San Bernardino attack, focusing comes hard on first day back at work

Monday was the first day back at work for county elections office workers after the deadly shooting spree in San Bernardino. The flags were flown at half-mast.
Monday was the first day back at work for some county elections office workers after the deadly shooting spree in San Bernardino. The flags were flown at half-staff.
(
Mary Plummer/KPCC
)

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After San Bernardino attack, focusing comes hard on first day back at work

Monday was the first day back at work for some government workers in San Bernardino, five days after the shooting spree that left 14 victims dead.

At the county elections office on East Rialto Avenue, Customer Relations Coordinator Yvonne Harmon was back at work, but her mind kept wandering, she said.

"I think that this will probably be the hardest day for me to get through," Harmon said.

She knew two people killed in Wednesday’s mass murder, including former coworker Aurora Godoy who once worked in the county registrar's office.

The news of Godoy's death hit Harmon so hard, she said she had to pull her car over — and just sit. 

But Harmon said in the days since the shooting, she’s pushed away her fears and is determined to stay strong.

"If it’s not my time to go, it’s not my time to go. And I’m not going to live my life worried about what somebody else may do," she said.

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The detail that sticks most with Harmon is Godoy's age. She was just 26 and leaves behind a husband and young son.

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