A decade after a gunman killed five people and wounded four others at Trolley Square in Salt Lake City, mourners held a vigil to mark the anniversary and remember the victims.
Speakers at the event, held Sunday at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church at 1070 Foothill Drive, talked about their loss and urged an end to gun violence. About 75 people attending the vigil, which was organized by the Utah chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Utah Episcopal Bishop Scott Hayashi — who was shot during a robbery of the store where he worked as a teenager — said the type of shooting at the Trolley Square mall "can happen anyplace, anytime, to anybody."
Hayashi encouraged everyone to "try to make a difference, to make the world a better place."
Killed at Trolley Square on Feb. 12, 2007, were Jeffrey Walker, 52; Vanessa Quinn, 29; Kirsten Hinckley, 15; Brad Frantz, 24; and Teresa Ellis, 29. Wounded were A.J. Walker, Walker's 16-year-old son; Carolyn Tuft, Kirsten Hinckley's mother; Shawn Munns; and Stacy Hanson.
The gunman, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic, used a 12-guage shotgun and a revolver to kill and wound his victims. A Salt Lake City SWAT team killed Talovic as he was firing at an off-duty Ogden police officer who had encountered him and a Salt Lake City police sergeant who also responded.
Tuft, who started the Utah chapter of Moms Demand Action, said everyone who has lost a loved one suffers every day. The constant pain she feels from her injuries also never lets her forgets what happened, she said.
Kait Hinckley, Tuft's daughter, said she misses her sister and asked everyone to have empathy for each other. Joe Russo, a friend of Quinn and her husband, Richard, talked about how life can change in a minute.
We need to be kind, we need to be loving," he said.
Dan Steglich, Frantz's uncle, described his nephew as a "great kid."
"It's just a big void that Brad's not there," he said. "Why do we kill each other?"
Anne Bagley, who had dinner with her two daughters and two granddaughters at Trolley Square on Feb. 12, 2007, said she and her family members escaped injury because they stopped in a store on their way to the parking lot, where her car was just two stalls away from where Talovic parked. The five hid in a closet with store employees and other shoppers until the police evacuated them.
"The shooting from beginning to end took only six minutes but it seemed like hours," Bagley said.
She now is part of Moms Demand Action and no longer feels powerless, Bagley said. The groups is fighting for measures that respect the Second Amendment but also protect people, she said.
"We must works together for more sensible gun laws," Bagley said.
pmanson@sltrib.com
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Joe Russo holds a picture of his friend Vanessa Russo, as mourners and survivors held a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of the Trolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Linsay Sharifi is comforted by her mother, Anne Bagley, as mourners and survivors held a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of the Trolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Carolyn Tuft holds a candle, as mourners and survivors held a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of the Trolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Mourners and survivors pause for a moment of silence during a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of the Trolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Wait Hinckley speaks at a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of theTrolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Carolyn Tuft speaks at a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of the Trolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Bishop Scott Hayashi speaks at a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of theTrolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune photos of the victims were on display at a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of theTrolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Terri Gilfillan gives a mothers statement at a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of theTrolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Peter Danzig holds a candle during a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of theTrolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Peter Danzig and May Danzig perform a musical number as "Otter Creek", during a vigil to mark the 10th anniversary of theTrolley Square shootings at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sunday, February 12, 2017.
