Local family familiar with impact of mass shooting

A man whose son was hurt in a mass shooting sheds light on what the future holds for victims and families involved in the Orlando shooting over the weekend.

Otis Medley’s son, Caleb, is still recovering from injuries inflicted by James Holmes at the July, 2012, shooting in an Aurora movie theater. The attack killed 12 people and injured 70 others.

Holmes was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole, although his mental competency was called into question during the case.

Medley said families of Orlando victims may not know the condition of their loved ones for as long as 36 hours after the shooting.

“I made it to (Aurora) as fast as my little car could go,” he said of the experience. “I didn’t know what hospital Caleb was in. I didn’t know his condition until around 4 in the morning. I learned he made it to the emergency room. I don’t think I slept for the next four days.”

Medley said Orlando victims and their families shouldn’t spend time asking why the tragedy happened.

“It really doesn’t matter,” he said. “I never focused on that. I don’t think our family ever did.”

Victims and families may heal physically, Medley said, but emotional recovery may continue for the rest of their lives.

“Fear is always there,” he said. “There’s confusion at the beginning, then fear. People will struggle. I know people from the Aurora shooting and some of them still haven’t recovered.”

The FBI defines a mass shooting as four or more people besides the shooter, shot and/or killed at the same time or in the same location.

Colorado has had its share of shootings that meet the definition or fall just short of it.

One of the most infamous was at Columbine High School in April, 1999. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed suicide after killing 12 students and a teacher, and injuring 21 people.

Several prominent shootings happened in Colorado Springs.

Teen sisters Stephanie and Rachel Works died in a December 2007, shooting at New Life Church. Their father and two other people were wounded. The shooter, Matthew Murray, died either by suicide or being shot to death by church security guard Jeanne Assam, according to records.

The morning of the shooting, Murray killed two people and injured two others at Youth With a Mission in Arvada.

According to several sources, hatred of Christianity was Murray’s motive for the shootings.

Last Halloween, police shot and killed Noah Harpham after he killed Christy Galella and Jennifer Vasquez while the victims sat on a front porch, and Andrew Myers while he rode a bicycle.

Authorities said Harpham was a critic of religion and his father’s involvement in a church but why the victims were chosen remains unclear.

Less than two months later, on the day after Thanksgiving, Robert Dear surrendered at a Planned Parenthood clinic after killing police officer Garrett Swasey and two people at the clinic, Ke’Arre Stewart and Jennifer Markovsky.

Five officers and four civilians also were wounded by Dear, who was declared incompetent to stand trial and sent to the state mental hospital in Pueblo. It’s believed he has a strong anti-abortion stance that may have been a motive in the shooting.