Husband Who Lost Wife Shares About Tragic Loss

Husband Who Lost Wife Shares About Tragic Loss


Save Story
Leer en espaƱol

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Amanda Butterfield ReportingCommunities are rallying around families of victims who got caught in the Trolley Square shooting. One couple had not lived in Utah long when violence broke them apart.

She loved dogs, she loved soccer and she loved her husband. Today Rich Quinn talked about his wife and why they were at Trolley Square Monday night.

Husband Who Lost Wife Shares About Tragic Loss

Rich Quinn, Husband: "My best friend, my wife, my lover. It's indescribable how I feel."

Vanessa and Rich Quinn were married four years ago, but didn't have a lot of money so they never bought rings. That's why they were at Trolley Square Monday night.

Rich Quinn, Husband: "I was meeting her there to buy a wedding ring. I called her and told her to come."

Vanessa got there early, turned a corner, and ran right into 18-year-old Sulejmen, who shot and killed her. Rich couldn't find his wife, went home, then back to Trolley and found a photographer taking pictures of a victim.

Rich Quinn, Husband: "Found the camera guy, looked through his lens, and I saw her in the mall dead. I knew instantly it was her."

Husband Who Lost Wife Shares About Tragic Loss
Husband Who Lost Wife Shares About Tragic Loss

When word spread, family flew in and friends gathered, many she played soccer with.

Brittany Sharp, Friend: "On the field, the last time I saw her was on the field."

Vanessa played in high school, at the University of Cincinnati, and was currently playing in a women's indoor league.

Brittany Sharp, Friend: "Everyone knew her by her black shoes with green bottoms, and that's all you saw, cause she would fly right past you."

She was fast, that's why friends didn't believe that she was killed.

Brittany Sharp: "When it happened we said, it can't be Vanessa, she would have been out of there so fast."

The indoor center where she played is setting up a memorial fund in her honor. So is the high school she played for in Ohio. Her husband asks anyone who wants to help to give to those funds because that's what Vanessa loved. And he loved her.

Rich Quinn, Husband: "I just want her to know she made me a better person by being her."

Husband Who Lost Wife Shares About Tragic Loss
Husband Who Lost Wife Shares About Tragic Loss

Vanessa's family has set up a Web site where you can get all of her burial information and make donations to her memorial fund. See the link located at the right.

Related links

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast