AURORA, CO - Update at 5:57 p.m. Saturday: 32-year-old Rebecca Ann Wingo is among the names of 11 identified by the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office as killed in Friday's mass shooting. An additional victim was identified in a statement released by the family.
Coroner Michael Dobersen, upon completion of autopsies on all of the victims said, "The cause of death in all cases is related to gunshot wounds. The manner of death is homicide."
Our earlier report follows:
Among the confusion following the shooting at a Colorado theater Friday morning that killed at least 12 people is the status of Rebecca Wingo, a resident of Aurora and 1997 graduate of Ford High School in Quinlan, Texas.
The single mother of two was said to have attended The Dark Knight Rises with friend Marcus Weaver, during which a gunman opened fire on the crowd.
While multiple media sources say she’s missing, no official report has confirmed her death. But Rebecca’s father, Steve Hernandez, mourns his daughter's death in a post Saturday morning on his Facebook page.
Previous posts to social media by friends and co-workers also made reference to Wingo’s death:
Shirley Wygal, Rebecca Wingo’s mother, told 9news in Colorado Friday:
“They [Wingo and Weaver] were in the fourth row when the guy came in the front of the theater. And they made it to the door and he started firing on the people at the door. And they got separated a little bit and when he caught sight of her again she was lying on the floor, bleeding from her chest and bleeding from her head. There were a lot of people at the door and a lot of chaos. She was still there when everything kind of cleared up and he ran outside and got some policemen and they went in to take care of her and he doesn’t know what happened after that.”
The Facebook page of Marcus Weaver, as cited by WGNT-TV in Virginia, quoted him as saying:
“I pulled her out but she was unconscious. I was shot in the arm and have fragments in my shoulder. I’m thankful to be alive. Please pray for Rebecca Wingo and all the wounded.”
Names of the other victims in Friday’s rampage have slowly begun to emerge as family members are notified of the devastating news.
Authorities are also trying to learn more about the suspected gunman, James Eagan Holmes, who is in custody after he surrendered without incident when police confronted him behind the theater.
As this story continues to develop, we encourage those with information, as well as thoughts on the tragedy, to share in the comments section below.
