Monday marks the two-year anniversary of the 2019 fatal shooting at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, in which five people were killed and six police officers were wounded while responding to the carnage.
As the community remembers those killed in the shooting, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman penned an emotional Facebook post recalling the horrific events of that day.
“Two years ago today, I woke up with absolutely no idea that the day would unfold into what would become the worst day of my professional life,” she said. “A disgruntled employee of the Henry Pratt Company opened fire, killing five souls.”
Ziman’s note also praised the heroic efforts of police officers during the shooting, and expressed her thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims.
“Think of their families who have to go on living without them,” she said. “A broken heart that still continues to beat.”
Here is Ziman’s full post:
In all, five people were killed in the shooting:
Russell Beyer, 47
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Vicente Juarez, 54
Clayton Parks, 32
Josh Pinkard, 37
Trevor Wehner, 21
Four of the victims were in a termination meeting with 45-year-old Gary Martin when he opened fire. Juarez, a forklift operator at the plant, was just outside of the meeting room and was shot when Martin fled the room.
Aurora police responded quickly to the scene. Four officers were shot, while a fifth suffered shrapnel wounds. A sixth officer suffered a knee injury while responding to the shooting.
