A dozen years later, 12 victims remembered from Aurora theater mass shooting

DENVER ( KDVR ) — A U.S. Navy veteran. A recent graduate of Gateway High School. An Air Force Staff Sergeant. An aspiring sports reporter.

These are just a few of the lives taken in a mass shooting on July 20, 2012, and on Saturday, a midnight vigil will give space for community members to remember and grieve the 12 people killed at an Aurora movie theater .

It was 12 years ago that a gunman shot at attendees at a midnight movie, injuring at least 70 and killing 12, including a 6-year-old girl who had just learned to swim and a 51-year-old whose two teenage children escaped the gunfire unharmed. Some of those injured were paralyzed, and countless others in the packed theater still bear invisible wounds of emotional trauma.

July 20 has since been marked as National Heroes Day , with Coloradans taking the day to honor the victims and first responders, particularly the four people who were shielding others when they were killed: Jonathan Blunk, John Larimer, Matt McQuinn and Alex Teves.

These victims were killed that day :

• Jonathan Blunk , 26
• A.J. Boik, 18
• Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse Childress, 29
• Gordon Cowden, 51
• Jessica Ghawi, 24
• Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John Thomas Larimer , 27
• Matt McQuinn, 27
• Micayla Medek, 23
• Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6
• Alex Sullivan, 27
• Alexander C. Teves, 24
• Rebecca Wingo , 32

On Thursday, Congressman Jason Crow and Reps. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Brittany Pettersen and Yadira Caraveo introduced a resolution to mark the dozen years that had passed since the mass shooting.

“Twelve years ago, ordinary individuals performed extraordinary acts and saved lives during the Aurora Theater Shooting,” said Crow in a release. “I’m grateful to stand with Colorado leaders to designate July 20 as National Heroes Day. Out of moments of crisis – from senseless violence to natural disasters – everyday heroes step forward. They deserve recognition as the servant leaders our communities rely on in our greatest time of need.”

The Annual Midnight Vigil at the 7/20 Memorial in the Aurora Wise Garden, located at 15151 E. Alameda Pkwy., will be held Friday from 10:30 p.m. through 1 a.m. Saturday.

Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, the Day of Resilience wellness and healing fair will include multiple beer vendors, health and wellness booths, food trucks, sidewalk chalk artists and live music.

The Hero’s Journey 5k run and walk kicks off at 8 a.m. Saturday. The event was organized by Zack Golditch, who survived the shooting and now serves as a firefighter in Colorado.

Victim’s father sponsors bill that he says could have saved son’s life

Colorado Sen. Tom Sullivan’s son was one of the victims killed in the Aurora theater shooting. Now, he is one of the prime sponsors behind a bill that passed earlier this year which he said could have saved his son’s life.

The bill, Firearms Merchant Category Code , would essentially track firearm and ammunition purchases through credit card companies and banks.

“In the weeks before my son Alex was killed in the Aurora Theater shooting, his killer purchased multiple firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition – and nobody batted an eye,” Sullivan said in a release. The shooter reportedly used a Mastercard to buy some $11,000 worth of weapons and military gear in the weeks before the mass shooting.

With the bill, credit card companies and banks will be able to report alarming activity as such to law enforcement.

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