Aurora Theater Shooting Trial Starts. 4.27.15- My first blog post on this subject and added comments

July 20, 2012

Details of this long day in Aurora, Colorado.

Probably many of us get up in the morning to workout on exercise bikes and watch the news. Usually nothing much on a normal day. I watch business news. Big news, market up. Big news, market down. Not really anything big, just a distraction from my workout. Today at 4:00 am, it was different.

Aurora Theatre shooting, 50 shot 14 killed. I'm ashamed to admit my thought, “I hope it’s not my town, hopefully Aurora, Ill?” No. It’s my town.

                                                                                                                                                                                         After emailing my friends and prayer partners, I got dressed and went to Aurora Medical Center.

Prayer at times like these seems more listening than speaking to God.  "Larry don't worry. Just go and be available."

"Okay."

To the people at the ER desk, "I am with the KCRT, Key Community Response Team. I’m a minister."

I was ushered to the victims’ friends and family makeshift waiting room. Probably 20 people in the room.

Stephanie was comforting people and providing water, coffee, snack bars and such.

"Do you have someone in surgery?"

"No. I am with the Aurora, KCRT, Key Community Response Team. I’m a minister. I’m here to comfort these people and anyone in need."

"Great. We need this very kind of support right now.”

"I will sit here and be available."

"Perfect"

                                                                                                                                                                                 There was a shattered group of four - older lady and three teens. The lady indicated she didn’t want my help right then.

Received a text from Joe Marcoux about Debra’s niece, Kirstin, and her boyfriend.  He was shot - in the hospital recovering.

I tried to reply, but could hardly get it done.  Too many things going on.

My friend from San Antonio, Clara Nell, called. Chatted briefly and thanked her for praying.

In the back of a room stood a female police officer. She was there to watch out for the people and to interview people who were in the theatre.  She looked so strong  (almost stoic), but I thought,  she will break down and cry when she gets home like all of us.

Then I saw a young man in a blue paper hospital gown. His head was bandaged. He came in the room and his family surrounded him. He was shaking. They continued to hug him.

Later, a tall stout young man with a New York Jets jersey broke down with heaving sighs and cries. He was surrounded by a friend and an older lady, perhaps his mom.  A tall black teenager with a big afro came over and hugged him, although it appeared he didn’t know him personally.

We heard that 15 people had been admitted to Aurora Medical Center

I met R.B., an Aurora detective, and he asked my name and role. “I am with the KCRT, Key Community Response Team. I’m a minister. Here to help anyway I can.”

“I am so glad you can be here to help these folks.”

We moved to a smaller room. The teens were disappointed that the television wouldn't work. I walked in and one of them said, “I hope you are Larry the cable guy.”

“No, I’m Larry the ministry guy. I’m here to pray for you and support you.” (I’m thinking later) and help you connect in a different way.

"Good, that’s better for us anyway." he replied.

The hospital Chaplain, Dave Reeves, and another hospital information officer came in to offer their help and supply information.

There were ten students who were not at the theatre, but friends of ‘Ryan’ who was in the emergency room. They scattered out on the chairs and some slept on the floor.

Ed Taylor, a preacher friend from Calvary Aurora, came in and walked straight to me and hugged me. We said in unison, "Glad you're here." He had several teens from his church in this group. The youth worker prayed with a small group of the teens.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Then a woman and her three teen friends came in. She said that one of these three had a friend who had died and another in surgery. "Do you mind if we pray?" "Please." We had a quick, stand up prayer and asked for God’s comfort.

                                                                                                                                                                                       Another couple came in who had just left the emergency room. Minor injuries. They needed to talk, so they shared with the whole group. “My wife and I just returned from our honeymoon yesterday. We decided to go to the movie opening with our friend, Josh. A man came in from the right front. He threw tear gas cans like pop cans from front right to back left. Then he started running up the stairs shooting. We fell to the floor, my wife and I. A bullet hit a seat and metal shrapnel was driven into her backside. We laid on top of our friend, Josh.  Josh has no family here.” At this time a man in the group stood up, “I’m Josh's brother.” “Great.” The couple went over to his brother. "We are so sorry." Then they told Josh's brother details to comfort him.  (I understood that Josh and the man were military or former military.)  “He had a big chunk of his arm blown off, but we think he will be okay." The woman, Denise, said, “I took off my shirt and wrapped it around his arm. We hoped it stopped the bleeding. We lay on top of each other. We stayed down a long time. The shooting stopped and many got up to run for the exit. They crowded near one back exit door and he shot into the people clustered together. There was a guy lying in the aisle who was not breathing and apparently dead. We had to step over him to run out.”

After they had debriefed Josh’s brother, I went over and introduced myself and offered to help.

Stephanie, the hospital rep. came into the room and said to the ten teens and two adults with ‘Ryan’. 

“Ryan has been dismissed. He has been released to go home. I would ask you to wait a few hours and then visit him at his home.”

In the last few hours I had seen my town blown apart by this murderer. I had seen a diverse group of people come together to help each other. Which church one attends didn’t matter. One’s skin color didn’t matter. One’s socio-economic group didn’t matter. What mattered was helping everyone get through.

I drove home thanking God His comfort. First responders from police to EMT’s had worked to reduce the loss.  Surgeons, doctors, nurses and hospital staff had fought to bring something good out of this terrible evil.

During our many years of living in the Denver area, we have suffered several tragedies. My town had come through again to help reduce the damage. Aurora is a great town, but has experienced a great evil today. People helped each other. Aurora is very good about stepping up and reducing the damage.

I wonder if that is what might have moved Jesus when He came into places where people reacted to killing with more killing. He said you have heard it said “An eye for an eye, but I say to you…” He had other answers for responding to hate - justice, mercy and faithfulness.  Jesus taught prayer as a response to hate.  Hopefully, we can allow these times to trigger a deeper level of love.  We can help turn people to the source of love - Jesus. To move to that perfect love that casts out fear.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support today.

Larry Wishard

Many hard things happened to these people who lost their loved ones and their stories will be on national media in the next weeks I suspect.  National stories are best that can get down into the real hurt and pain of what has happened.  There were stories of overcoming as well. 

Friends and family gathered in funeral homes and hospitals and supported each other.  Neighborhoods where families lived opened their hearts and homes and people who had never done so before had short devotional prayers to support those whose lives hung in the balance in the hospitals.  Aurora,Colorado, had been my home for thirty years when this happened. I consider this suburb of Denver a great town and though it had and has problems, I still have good memories of the way they came together during this tragedy.

ABC News reported on 7.19.13  regarding a wedding scheduled for one year after the shooting between Eugene Han and Kirstin Davis.  He was severely wounded in the shooting because they were sitting near the front when the shooting started. The gun jammed and they ran for the same exit the gunman came in.

"He proposed on April 9 while the couple was visiting South Padre Island in Texas. She said yes and he asked how she felt about getting married on the one-year anniversary of the shooting. Davis told him she had to think about it.

"I was kind of uncomfortable about the idea because I didn't think it was okay to take a bad day and turn it into a good day, so I had to really think about it," she said.

She thought about it and came to a conclusion about a half hour later.

"I think it would be a good date to have our wedding," she recalled saying. "That way we can make good memories and start a new chapter of our lives rather than allowing this memory from a year ago to stick with us every single year."

Over the past three months, the couple has planned their wedding with the help of family, friends, community members and strangers who have rallied around them.

"A lot of people have been helping," Han said. "We were planning on having a small wedding but it kind of grew every day into a big ceremony."

Supporters have pitched in to help with the reception, dress, hair, accessories and decorations.

"We really appreciate all of the help and the kindness of all their hearts to be able to help us," Davis said.

The couple emphasized that the love and support of many along with their strong faith has helped them overcome a tragedy and plan their special day.

"Our faith is definitely a big part of this story," Han said. "Jesus saved me once because I accepted him, but then he saved me physically in the theater."

Their wedding will be a day of celebration, but they won't forget what happened on July 20, 2012 and that will be part of the ceremony, too.

"I know for sure there will be a prayer for the families of the people that did lose someone last year," Davis said."

A church in Tuscon Arizona sent us a lovely plant with a note saying, "We understand. Our prayers are with you."

I have a friend who reminded me that his friends from his work were also injured.

"There was Farrah who swallowed the tear gas.
Cristina was shot in the leg.
Heather was shot in the hand."
 

I will be praying this week for the families of the lost and injured.  My hope that justice is carried out in this case.  I am reminded of the Biblical phrase, "Overcome evil with good."

Larry Wishard