Trolley Square victim heals through service

Trolley Square victim heals through service


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SALT LAKE CITY -- Exactly six years ago, the life of a Utah woman and her family was drastically and tragically altered, forever.

Five people were killed and four wounded at the hands of a young gunman at Salt Lake City's Trolley Square. Vickie Walker's husband and son were among those victims.

But despite ongoing hardship, the Walker family has found a way to give back.

"I recall he said ‘love you too' and headed out the door," Vickie recalled of her last interaction with her husband. "There was a little news crawl at the bottom of the screen that said there had been a shooting at Trolley Square. Then, as you probably well know, you start calling cell phone. Neither of them answered."

At that point, Vickie realized something was "dramatically and drastically out of place." It wasn't until early the next morning that she found out Jeff was gone and her son AJ was rushed into brain surgery with severe injuries.


You can't go back to your old life after you've had these kinds of experiences. I kept thinking, what did I learn and how can I help others with what we went through?

–Vickie Walker, victim of Trolley Square shootings


"You're just numb," Vickie said. "Everyone says I could never go through what you went through. But quite frankly, I don't think that we're really given more than we can handle."

AJ, just 16 at the time of the shooting, was hospitalized for weeks before going to rehab. There he had to re-learn how to do everything. It was tough, Vickie says, but he did recover - eventually going on a humanitarian trip to Africa and now serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in San Diego, speaking Spanish.

The road has been long for Vickie.

"It just seemed like one thing after another," she said. "I kind of kept going, time out. I need to rebound from the hardship from before."

Vickie lost her house after being defrauded by an acquaintance. She also had to have both knees replaced after she was hit by a drugged-out driver.

But Vickie still believes it's essential to help others.

"When you give service to others, you lose yourself," she said. "I thought maybe my heart will heal as well."

The family started a non-profit organization called "Circle the Wagons." The outreach program includes cans of comfort, distributed by local police. They're for those recovering from violent crime -- providing information, resources and candy.

"Inside is a letter from our family telling them that they can survive this and that there are people that care about them," Vickie said. "You can't go back to your old life after you've had these kinds of experiences. I kept thinking, what did I learn and how can I help others with what we went through?"

The Walkers' charity has the support of local police departments and the state of Utah.

Happily, Vickie recently received some good news. Last month, the man who defrauded her, 43-year-old Jason Kim Brown of South Jordan, agreed to plead to a third-degree felony count. He's paying her $250,000 - which amounts to full restitution.

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Carole Mikita

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