London Bridge Victim Died in Her Fiance's Arms

Guy with beer becomes unlikely symbol of defiance
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2017 5:07 AM CDT
Updated Jun 5, 2017 6:07 AM CDT
Canadian London Victim Died in Fiance's Arms
People, including a man holding a pint of beer, run from the scene of the attack.   (Sky News via AP)

The first victim of Saturday night's terrorist attack in London to be identified is a Canadian visitor who died in her fiance's arms. Christine Archibald, 30, had been living in the Netherlands, where fiance Tyler Ferguson was working. She was hit as the attackers drove into pedestrians on London Bridge. Ferguson "is broken into a million pieces," his sister tells the CBC. "He held her and watched her die in his arms." Before moving to Europe last year, Archibald worked in a Calgary homeless shelter. Her family says she had "room in her heart for everyone" and people can honor her by making their communities better places. "Volunteer your time and labor or donate to a homeless shelter. Tell them Chrissy sent you," they said in a statement. In other developments:

  • Finding humor amid the horror in a very British way, commenters praised a man seen on news clips "defiantly" fleeing the attack with a pint of beer still in his hand, the Evening Standard reports. "People fleeing #LondonBridge but the bloke on the right isn't spilling a drop," tweeted one commenter.

  • President Trump has been strongly criticized for what opponents are calling a petty and politicized response to the attack, the Washington Post reports. In a series of tweets, the president defended his travel ban, criticized London's mayor for telling people to remain calm, attacked "political correctness," and brought up gun control. "Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!," he said.
  • There are four police officers among the 48 injured, including a transport police officer who was praised for his courage after tackling the attackers during their stabbing spree, armed with only a baton, CNN reports. The officer is in stable condition in the hospital with injuries to his head, face, and leg.
  • Experts say the "Ride, Hide, Tell" response advocated by British police probably saved lives during the attack, the AP reports. The response, which has been promoted across Europe, advises people caught up in a terror attack to run to a place of safety, hide and barricade themselves if fleeing is not an option, and call police when it's safe to do so.
  • A Madrid man who used his skateboard to defend a woman being stabbed is missing, the BBC reports. Friends say 39-year-old Ignacio Echeverría, who used his skateboard to hit the attacker, was seen lying on the ground injured after the attack, though his name doesn't appear on lists of the dead or wounded.
  • Britain's election is on Thursday, and politicians resumed campaigning Monday, with security high on the agenda, the Guardian reports. After the attack, Prime Minister Theresa May called for tougher anti-terror measures, saying "enough is enough."
(More London stories.)

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