Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Names of Victims Killed In Aurora Massacre Released
The names of most of victims who were killed at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" yesterday have been released by the coroner's office. Many of them were young adults (as you might expect at a midnight showing). We tried to include a few notes about their lives and the heart-breaking (and sometimes heroic, self-sacrificing) circumstances of their deaths.
We already wrote about Jessica Redfield (née Ghawi), 24, pictured above, an up-and-coming hockey reporter. Deadspin has a post cataloguing all the responses to her death from the hockey and sports media communities. It also has a hilarious video of her as an intern, trying to interview a hockey player on ice while she was wearing the wrong shoes. Curious about the pen name? She explained to Busted Coverage (via Twitter): "It's my grandma's maiden name. She always wanted to be a journalist, never had the chance."
Veronica Moser-Sullivan was a 6-year-old who was with her mother Ashley Moser in the theater. Veronica had just started swimming lessons on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. Her mother was critically injured but not killed in the attack; because she is passing in and out of consciousness, she still doesn't know her daughter is dead, according to the Denver Post.
John T. Larimer, 27, was a Navy sailor from Crystal Lake, Illinois, the Post and ABC News reported. He was a cryptologic technician, who had joined the U.S. Navy over a year ago and he had been stationed in Aurora since October 2011, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Support for LAist comes from
Alexander J. Boik, who went by AJ, was 18 years old and a recent high school graduate, who was planning to attend the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, the Post reported. He dreamed of teaching art and having his own studio.
Jesse E. Childress, 29, was originally from the nearby Thornton. He was a cybersystems operator on active duty with the 310th Force Support Squadron at the nearby Buckley Air Force Base, according to CNN.
Jonathan T. Blunk, 26, was a military veteran who took a bullet for his companion Jansen Young, 21, according to NBC.
Rebecca Wingo, 32, worked at the restaurant Joe's Crab Shack in Aurora and was attending community college, a manager confirmed. Her dad confirmed her death on Facebook and said (not surprisingly) that he was inconsolable.
Alex M. Sullivan was celebrating his 27th birthday when he was shot. He and seven of his co-workers, who worked at a local Red Robin, had attended the premiere, the Post reported. The other seven were injured in the shooting, too.
Gordon Cowden was 51 and we couldn't find any information from the Post or other news outlets, but his name was released by the coroner's office.
Micayla Medek, 23, identified herself as a worker at a Subway on her Facebook page. Her friends knew that she was injured, so they tried to carry her out of the theater but emergency personnel stopped them. She died in the theater, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Support for LAist comes from
Alexander Teves, 24, had just earned a master's degree in counseling psychology at the University of Denver in June, the Post reported. His friend Caitlin said on Twitter that Teves took a bullet for his girlfriend Amanda, who like Caitlin, made it out unharmed, according to ABC News.
Matthew McQuinn, 27, also died saving his girlfriend Samantha Yowler. Her brother Nick Yowler, 32, also tried to shield her. Yowler was shot in the knee and her brother made it out unscathed, an attorney for the family told the Post. McQuinn met Yowler while they were working at a Target and they had recently transferred to work at a location in Denver together, where Yowler's brother worked.
Related:
Dark Knight Rises Massacre: At Least 12 Killed, 50 Wounded At Colorado Movie Theater
Pentagon: Military Members Were Among Victims of 'The Dark Knight Rises' Massacre
Woman Killed in 'Dark Knight' Massacre Had Survived Mall Shooting in Toronto
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist