The Aurora victims of the Henry Pratt mass shooting are Clayton Parks, Vicente Juarez, Trevor Wehner, Russell Beyer, and Josh Pinkard. See tributes and photos.
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Four of the five Aurora shooting victims from Henry Pratt.
The five people who died in a mass shooting at Henry Pratt, a valve manufacturing company in Aurora, Illinois, were co-workers who included the plant manager, married fathers with young children, a grandfather, and a college student who was on his first day as an intern.
Their names were released by authorities in the wake of the mass shooting that also left five law enforcement officers wounded. You can see short biographies and photos below for each of the five deceased victims as they are obtained. Authorities say the gunman, Gary Martin, 45, a felon who worked at the plant for 15 years, opened fire at a job termination meeting that most of the victims were also attending. The victims were mostly discovered in the same area of the plant.
In addition to those who died, Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman released this information about the police officers who were shot as they arrived at the scene, responding to a flurry of 911 calls. They did not suffer life-threatening wounds.
She said the police will “relentlessly pursue answers to questions about how a person could do such a thing.” The officers were not named, but Ziman provided these details:
Officer 1, male, 39-years-old, 13 years of service. Gunshot wound to lower extremity, stable condition.
Officer 2, male 52,25 years of service. Gunshot wound to upper extremity. Will be released from hospital.
Officer 3, male, 52,24 years of service. Gunshot wound to lower extremity. Treated and released.
Officer 4, male 53,30 years of service. Gunshot wound to lower extremity. Treated at area hospital.
Officer 5, male, 25, just under four years of service. Shrapnel wounds to upper extremity. Stable condition.
Officer 6, male, 23,2 years experience. Minor injury while responding to the incident not related to gunfire.
Here’s what you need to know about the deceased victims:
Josh Pinkard was from Oswego, Illinois. He was a plant manager at Henry Pratt. Pinkard’s Facebook page says he was from Holly Pond, Alabama. His Facebook page is filled with pictures of his three small children and wife. Tributes flowed in for Josh Pinkard.
“Please pray for the family of Josh Pinkard, one of the 5 people killed in the Aurora shooting yesterday. I got to know Josh when he was a student at MSU about 15 years ago and he was active in BSU. Josh loved God and served others well. My heart is heavy this morning for this family,” wrote a man who knew Pinkard on Facebook.
A relative wrote on Facebook, “Yesterday was a typical Friday until 1 phone call came that changed the entire day as minutes and hours passed waiting on more news and ultimately the most devestating news was delivered Josh Pinkard my first cousin a son brother husband and father had been 1 of the 5 people shot and killed in the Aurora Chicago shooting yesterday. Now from there you know the news of how all of that unfolded. Now…to the reunion that took place after Josh drew his last breath is where my mind has been ever since the final news was given you see Josh lost his little sister in an accident 12 years ago and yesterday she welcomed her bubba and he got to hold his sister again…we will mourn in the days ahead we will cry and hold each other a little tighter when saying goodbye but Josh was a good and faithful servant that accepted his Lord and savior Jesus Christ years ago and last night he got his wings but Kateah got her brother back for that we take comfort in knowing there was a reunion unlike any we will ever experience on earth.
