Staying Aurora Strong One Year After Mass Shooting

AURORA, IL — At 1:24 p.m. Feb. 15, 2020, the Aurora Police Department will observe a moment of silence across its radios after they read the names of the five men slain exactly one year ago — to the minute — in the shooting at Henry Pratt Manufacturing: Trevor Wehner, Russell Beyer, Vicente Juarez, Clayton Parks and Josh Pinkard.

Everything changed in that minute for the families of those men, for the five police officers who were wounded responding to the shooting, and for Aurora as a whole.

"From That Minute, Nothing Would Be the Same"

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin reflected on the shooting in a recent press conference. He quoted "Seasons of Love" from Rent, saying, "525,600 minutes. How do you measure a year?"

Irvin said the past year has been "one measured in ways I can never imagine." Reflecting on the shooting, Irvin said, "From that minute, nothing would be the same."

Related: Wife of Shooting Victim: 'I'm Living My Worst Nightmare'

Irvin acknowledged that while Aurora was irreparably altered, the community came together in the face of adversity. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the city adopted the rallying cry "Aurora Strong" and did not disappoint when it came to delivering on that assertion.

Residents brought food and cookies to police officers working late. Children drew crayon-colored cards for the police force. Fundraisers popped up throughout the city, with one GoFundMe raising roughly half a million dollars for the families of Wehner, Beyer, Juarez, Parks and Pinkard.

"We have worked collectively to turn hurt into hope and pain into progress," Irvin said.

"That Year Doesn't Feel Like a Year"

One of the bonds that has helped hold Aurora together moment to moment over the past year has been its police force. Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman spent the press conference praising her police force and sending love to the victims' families.

"That year doesn't feel like a year for us because we're still going through it," Ziman said. She mentioned that two officers, Jason Russell and Marco Gomez, were still waiting to be cleared to go back to work.

Gomez got the go-ahead to return to work on Feb. 15, 2020 after spending exactly one year recovering from being shot several times.

In the year since the shooting, Ziman has been impressively cool, collected, and caring. Speaking of the victim's families, her left hand trembling almost imperceptibly, she said the hardest day of her life was "having to face the families of the victims."

"Not a Minute Goes By That I Don't Think of Trevor"

For the family members of those lost in the shooting, the past year has been a blur. That's what Bonnie Rich, mom of Trevor Wehner, 21, told Patch via email on Feb. 7.

Everything changed after Rich learned that her son, who was an intern on his first day at Henry Pratt Manufacturing, was likely a victim of the shooting, she says, "I felt in my heart that Trevor was gone. And after that, I felt nothing. Numbness."

She wrote, "The days and months after the workplace shooting are a blur, but to me Aurora Strong means many things. It means coming together in a time of tragedy."

"I am forever grateful for the 'Aurora Strong' that was displayed not only immediately after the tragedy, but in the 358 days since the tragedy. It brings me strength knowing that I am not alone. Not a minute goes by that I don't think of Trevor or the events of February 15, 2019."

"Grief Is Not A Linear Process"

In a recent post on Facebook, Abby Parks, who lost her husband Clay in the shooting, wrote,

"Grief is not a linear process, and finding beauty in everyday life can be hard when so much is overshadowed by what you’ve lost. Moving forward, building something beautiful, and rising from the brokenness is a process."

Related: Shooting Victim's Mom Asked To Remove Aurora Strong Flag

Aurora Flags To Be Flown At Half-Mast

The city of Aurora opted not to have a public ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the Henry Pratt shooting. "We didn't want to make this about us," Ziman said during the news briefing, saying officials wanted to honor the victims and their families.

As you drive past the flags in Aurora or as you see the clock tick past 1:24 p.m. Saturday, take a minute, just a minute, and remember: Trevor, Vicente, Russell, Clay, Josh and everything that this strong little city endured.