Friends, Family Remember

As Aurora, Colo., continues to grieve for the 12 dead and 58 wounded at the Dark Knight massacre, the AP has talked to family and friends of the victims. Here's what they are saying:

• Jonathan Blunk, 26. A veteran of three tours in the Persian Gulf and the North Arabian Sea, he planned to re-enlist and become a Navy SEAL. He died protecting friend Jansen Young. "That's something he would do," a friend said. "If he was going to choose a way to die, that's how he wanted to go."

• Alexander Boik, 18. A recent high school graduate, he played in the school orchestra and planned to be an art teacher. "He was a ball of joy," said a friend. "If he were still here, he'd try to make everyone have a positive outlook of the situation and not allow it to affect their outlook of life."
• Gordon Cowden, 51. The oldest victim, Cowden was a "true Texas gentleman ... a quick-witted world traveler with a keen sense of humor," according to a family statement. His teenage children survived the attack.
• Jessica Ghawi, 24. The budding journalist had just survived a shooting at a Toronto mall. "I was reminded that we don't know when or where our time on Earth will end," she wrote in a blog post. "When or where we will breathe our last breath."
• Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6. She was a "great little girl, excited about life," said great-aunt Annie Dalton. Veronica's mother is hospitalized with two gunshot wounds and slipping in and out of consciousness, asking about her daughter. "Nobody can tell her about it," said Dalton.

Read about more victims here. (More Dark Knight massacre stories.)