Police identify victims

Associated Press

AURORA, Colo.

Ashley Moser drifted in and out of consciousness in the ICU, a bullet lodged in her throat and a gunshot wound to her abdomen. In her waking moments, she called for her 6-year-old daughter Veronica.

Nobody had the heart to tell the 25-year-old mother that Veronica already was dead, the youngest victim killed at a Colorado movie theater in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.

“All she’s asking about, of course, is her daughter,” said Annie Dalton, who is Ashley Moser’s aunt.

Dalton said Veronica was “a vibrant 6-year-old. She was excited; she’d just learned how to swim. She was a great little girl, excited about life — she should be at 6 years old.”

The little girl was among those who died when a gunman barged into a crowded theater in a Denver suburb, set off gas canisters and opened fire, killing 12 people and wounding 58 others.

Colorado authorities Saturday released the names of the victims killed in the rampage. There were eight men, three women and Veronica Moser-Sullivan, the youngest slain. Gordon Cowden was the oldest. He was 51. All died of gunshot wounds, according to the release by the Arapahoe County coroner’s office.

One of the 12, Matthew McQuinn, has been tentatively identified and is awaiting final identification, though his family’s attorney confirmed to The Associated Press that McQuinn was among those killed.

Rob Scott of Dayton, Ohio, said McQuinn died after diving in front of his girlfriend and her older brother to shield them from the gunfire.

His girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, was in fair condition after being shot in the knee. Her brother, Nick Yowler, was not injured.

The couple had moved to Colorado from Ohio last fall, Scott said.

For Alex Sullivan, it was to be a weekend of fun: He planned to ring in his 27th birthday with friends at the special midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” and then celebrate his first wedding anniversary today.

Late Friday, Sullivan’s family confirmed that police told them he was among those killed.

“He was a very, very good young man,” said Sullivan’s uncle, Joe Loewenguth. “He always had a smile, always made you laugh. He had a little bit of comic in him. Witty, smart. He was loving, had a big heart.”

Micayla Medek, 23, also was killed.

Her father’s cousin, Anita Busch, told The Associated Press that the news, though heartbreaking, was a relief for the family after an agonizing day.

“You can’t go that long without knowing,” she said. “I hope this evil act ... doesn’t shake people’s faith in God.”

Navy cryptologist John Larimer went to the theater with three other sailors from nearby Buckley Air Force Base, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Jakuboski said. Larimer was shot and killed, and Jakuboski said losing Larimer felt like losing “one of my sons.”

“Losing a sailor, whether it’s in combat or whether it’s in a horrific domestic situation like this, it’s hard. It’s tough,” he said.

Larimer’s family said his brother is working with the Navy to take his body home to Crystal Lake, Ill.

An Air Force reservist who worked at Buckley also was killed in the rampage. Sgt. Jesse Childress, 29, was a cyber-systems operator from Thornton, Colo., said Air Force Capt. Andrew Williams.

Williams described Childress as knowledgeable, experienced and respectful. He says Childress was athletic and played in a kickball and volleyball tournament on base. “He was always our star,” Williams said.