Remember the Victims, Not The Shooter

This week, I am going to move away from my usual writings about politics and focus on the victims of the horrible massacre that happened last week in Aurora, Colorado.

Enough has been said about the shooter, James E. Holmes, from the details of his personal life, to his booby-trapped apartment with 30 homemade grenades and 10 gallons of gasoline.

But what has not been spoken about enough, in my opinion, is the victims: the 12 innocent children, men and women who were killed. They were mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. Two were active duty service members, one a veteran, and one a six-year-old girl who just learned to swim.

Though we my never truly understand why Mr. Holmes decided to perform this horrific act, I believe we need to stop focusing on him and instead focus on his innocent victims whose lives he destroyed. The media has given too much attention to the shooter and not enough attention to the victims. The video below by CNN’s Anderson Cooper is the only piece I have found that beautifully remembers the victims of his tragedy.

Though I have never met any of the victims, I feel just as I felt when we were all New Yorkers after the 9/11 attacks, just as we were Hookies after the Virginia Tech shooting, and just as we were all constituents of Rep. Gabby Gifford’s following her shooting in 2011. Today we stand with the people of Aurora, Colorado.

May God bless the families of those who have been touched by this tragedy.