An off-duty police officer was among those killed by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.
An off-duty police officer was among those killed by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.
Cheshire Detective Constable Elaine McIver was attending the show with her husband and two children, the Guardian reported. She was critically injured when bomber Salman Abedi set off a homemade explosive, reportedly filled with bolts and nails, near the entrance of Manchester Arena on Monday night.
Twenty-two people were killed in the blast, and 20 of those injured in the explosion remain in critical condition.
“Despite what has happened to her, she would want us all to carry on regardless and not be frightened by fear tactics, ” her family said in a statement. “Instead she regularly urged us all to rise up against it.”
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Members of the Cheshire Police paid tribute to their fallen colleague Thursday morning. Chief Constable Simon Byrne described her as “big-hearted, bubbly” and “positive, ” BBC reported.
“We are supporting her family at this very difficult time, and will be providing support for friends and colleagues from the Constabulary as we come to terms with the loss of an officer in such tragic, heart-wrenching circumstances, ” he said. “We will not let evil win.”
Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane added: “It is moments like this that we must remain unified and strong.”
Wendy Fawell, also a mother, has also been named as a victim. The 50-year-old from Otley in West Yorkshire was attending the concert with her 15-year-old daughter.
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Debbie McDowell, who described Fawell as her “best friend” and confidant, confirmed the tragic news on Facebook .
“A beautiful lady who I will have treasured memories of. Nite god bless sweetheart, ” she wrote. “Love you to the moon and back.”
The family of 19-year-old Courtney Boyle confirmed she was also killed in the Monday terror attack. She was attending the concert with her stepfather, Philip Tron, 32, who also lost his life in the explosion, the Guardian reported.
Courtney’s boyfriend remembered her as “an adventurer, a precious and joyous soul, ” while her mother described her as “stunning” and “beautiful.”
She had been studying Criminology and Psychology at Leeds Beckett University.
Tron’s mother said he was a “fun-loving, energetic soul” and thanked the emergency responders as well as their friends and family for their support.
“My gorgeous crazy Philip, you made my world a happy place and you are both my angels flying high in the sky, ” his partner, Deborah said.
Parents and adults attending concerts with their teens and young children make up a large portion of the fatalities. Angelika and Marcin Klis, a Polish couple, were waiting for their daughter when the blast went off. Michelle Kiss was at the show with her actress daughter, Millie, and was killed in the explosion.
Many of the victims identified were also young concert-goers — the youngest, 8-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos. Others include Chloe Rutherford, 17, and her 19-year-old boyfriend, Liam Curry, 14-year-old Eilidh MacLeod and Sorrell Leczkowski, also 14.
