Editor’s Note: Thursday, July 20 marks five years since the Aurora Theater Shooting. As this milestone approached, FOX31 carefully chose how to cover it without re-opening old wounds, and without focusing on (or even mentioning by name) the gunman. This is the last in our week-long series of reports.
AURORA, Colo. — “Super cute little baby, looks just like me,” joked Eugene Han.
In his wife’s lap sits Yuri Euki Han, their two-month-old baby.
“She’s a blessing,” said Casey Han.
A blessing because of what both parents went through five years ago.
“She wouldn`t have been here if I had died that night,” Eugene said.
Eugene and Casey were seated in the second row of theater nine during the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20, 2012 when a gunman opened fire, killing 12 and injuring 70 others.
“Five feet away from us was the shooter, and the chances of us living in any reality is like very slim,” Eugene said.
Still, somehow they did survive. Eugene was shot in the knee and the hip during the gunman’s rampage. Miraculously, Casey only had shrapnel in her back. They both believe that god had other plans for them that night.
“If God didn`t put his hand in the way of those bullets we definitely would not be here,” Eugene said.
And since that day they’ve counted their blessings and made a promise to each other, not to allow that day to affect their future. So a year later, they took back July 20, reclaiming it as a celebration. Eugene and Casey were married exactly one year after the shooting.
“We made kind of a pact the year we got married to not really allow what horrible things happened that night to affect us,” Casey said.
This year, on what could be a somber night, there is even more to celebrate. Their fourth anniversary, and a little baby. There’s no way to forget what happened five years ago. And one day, when she’s old enough, they’ll tell Yuri all about this day on the calendar.
July 20. A day that changed their lives. Not once, but twice.