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Tonya Papanikolas reportingWithin a span of seven minutes, a teenager changed a handful of families' lives forever.
The Trolley Square shootings last February impacted an entire community, a community that reached out to the victims and their families. This is our number-two story of 2007.
On Feb. 12, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic brought a shotgun into Trolley Square Mall and opened fire on anyone in his path. "There was lots of gunfire, maybe 15 or 20 shots," said one witness.
Clifton Black, another witness, said, "We didn't know what was going on, what we were supposed to do. I was scared to death."
While shoppers and employees were running from the shooter, off-duty Ogden police officer Kenneth Hammond ran toward him. "The suspect did engage me. He took a shot at me," said Hammond.
Hammond lost sight of the shooter but was soon joined by Salt Lake City police. Together, officers cornered Talovic and fired.
"I heard the police yell, ‘Drop your weapons, police! Drop your weapons!' And then we heard lots of shots," said Matt Lund.
Talovic was killed, but not before he had killed five others: Teresa Ellis, Brad Frantz, Vanessa Quinn, Jeffery Walker and Kirsten Hinckley.
Carolyn Tuft, Kirsten Hinckley's mother, said, "I watched her take her last breath. I just felt absolutely hopeless."
Carolyn Tuft was injured, along with A.J. Walker, Shawn Munns and Stacy Hanson. "Our lives are forever changed. I'll never be 100 percent again," said Hanson, who remains in a wheelchair.
But the survivors received an outpouring of support from the community. Schools, businesses and individuals held fundraisers for the victims. Carolyn Tuft received hundreds of encouraging letters. She said, "They buoy me up and help me, help me heal."
Heart to Home volunteers completely renovated Stacy Hanson's home to make it wheelchair accessible. "Thank you everyone, I appreciate it so much," said Hanson.
While the community reached out to the victims, indictments came in May. Four people were indicted on federal weapons charges for selling Talovic the weapons or lying to investigators. They all took plea deals.
But the motive behind the shooting still remains a mystery. Police investigated the shooting for six months and could not pinpoint why Talovic wanted to kill innocent people.
The police report on the shootings is expected to come out in 2008. Though it likely won't contain information on the gunman's motive, it will provide full details of what happened, along with the police response to the incident.
