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Woman Killed in 'Dark Knight' Massacre Had Survived Mall Shooting in Toronto
One of the victims killed by a gunman early this morning at a screening of "Dark Knight Rises" in Colorado had been witness to another mass shooting just last month.Jessica Redfield (née Jessica Ghawi), a Denver-area hockey blogger originally hailing from San Antonio, was killed this morning when a gunman identified as James Holmes allegedly set off bombs smoke devices before opening fire on moviegoers watching a midnight screening of the latest Batman flick.
But this wasn't the first mass shooting that Redfield had witnessed. She had been in at a mall in Toronto last month when a gunman opened fire in a food court, killing one and injuring several others.
Redfield wrote about how a last-minute decision about where to eat in the food court ended up saving her life in a blog entry last month:
What started off as a trip to the mall to get sushi and shop, ended up as a day that has forever changed my life. I was on a mission to eat sushi that day, and when I’m on a mission, nothing will deter me. When I arrived at the Eaton Center mall, I walked down to the food court and spotted a sushi restaurant. Instead of walking in, sitting down and enjoying sushi, I changed my mind, which is very unlike me, and decided that a greasy burger and poutine would do the trick. I rushed through my dinner. I found out after seeing a map of the scene, that minutes later a man was standing in the same spot I just ate at and opened fire in the food court full of people. Had I had sushi, I would’ve been in the same place where one of the victims was found.
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Unfortunately, she like at least 11 others were not able to escape with their lives during this shooting. She sent out a string of tweets about watching "Dark Night Rises" not long before the movie started including this:
Of course we're seeing Dark Knight. Redheaded Texan spitfire, people should never argue with me.Maybe I should get in on those NHL talks...
— Jessica Redfield (@JessicaRedfield) July 20, 2012
Her final tweet ribbed a friend who wasn't at the movie:
@jessespector MOVIE DOESN'T START FOR 20 MINUTES
— Jessica Redfield (@JessicaRedfield) July 20, 2012
Redfield's brother Jordan Ghawi blogged about the experience of learning what had happened to his sister and a mutual friend of hers who had taken her to the movie theaters that night:
At approximately 0215 CST, I received an hysterical, and almost unintelligible, phone call from my mother stating that my sister, Jessica Ghawi, had been shot while attending the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Denver, CO. I was able to contact the man that was with my sister, mutual friend Brent, who stated that they were in the theatre when an incendiary device was fired into the crowd and that shots rang out immediately afterwards. Brent further stated that he took two rounds and that my sister took one round followed by an additional round which appeared to strike her in the head. At this time, I do not have confirmation that she is alive or dead. Brent has been transported with non-life threatening injuries to a local hospital. I am on the next flight out of San Antonio to Denver and have already contact Aurora PD, operating jurisdiction, as next of kin.
Related:
Local Authorities Call Colorado Shooting an 'isolated incident,' While Studio Pulls "Gangster Squad" Trailer Due to Movie Theater Bloodbath Scene
Dark Knight Rises Massacre: At Least 12 Killed, 50 Wounded At Colorado Movie Theater
"Dark Knight" Massacre Suspect From San Diego, Media Descends on Family [UPDATE]
Obama on Colorado Shooting: 'It's Beyond Reason'
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