SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — At funerals in Ohio and Texas today, mourners have been remembering two of the 12 people killed in the Colorado movie theater massacre.
The woman whose life was saved by Matt McQuinn attended his funeral in Springfield, Ohio. Samantha Yowler wept quietly with McQuinn's parents as pastors praised her boyfriend's heroism.
McQuinn was shot three times while shielding Yowler during the Colorado theater shooting. Yowler is getting around on crutches after being shot in the knee.
In San Antonio, friends and family laughed and cried as they celebrated Jessica Ghawi's (GAH'-weez) positive, energetic spirit. A statement from Ghawi's mother described her as a "jolt of lightning" and likened her to "a Labrador puppy running clumsily with innocent joy."
Her brother encouraged everyone to act on their dreams as his sister did. Jordan Ghawi also described the shooter as a hate-filled "coward."
%@AP Links
146-r-16-(Sound of bagpipes being played, at the funeral for Colorado shooting victim Jessica Ghawi)--Sound of bagpipes being played at the funeral for Colorado shooting victim Jessica Ghawi. (28 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *146 (07/28/12)>> 00:16
142-c-13-(Amanda Lee Myers, AP correspondent)-"thorughout and afterward"-AP correspondent Amanda Lee Myers reports tearful mourners packed the church for 27-year-old Matt McQuinn's funeral . (28 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *142 (07/28/12)>> 00:13 "thorughout and afterward"
145-a-16-(Jordan Ghawi (GAH'-wee), brother of shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, at funeral for shooting victim Jessica Ghawi)-"her others will (sighs)"-Jordan Ghawi, the brother of shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, urges his mom and dad to take comfort in his sister's memory and her legacy. (28 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *145 (07/28/12)>> 00:16 "her others will (sighs)"
143-c-18-(Amanda Lee Myers, AP correspondent)-"most caring person"-AP correspondent Amanda Lee Myers reports pastors at the funeral, including an uncle, noted that Matt marched to his own drum, but loved all people at the same time. (28 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *143 (07/28/12)>> 00:18 "most caring person"
144-a-16-(Jordan Ghawi (GAH'-wee), brother of shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, at funeral for shooting victim Jessica Ghawi)-"read her blog"-Jordan Ghawi, the brother of shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, urges the mourners to recall his sister's blog about how fragile life is and how important it is to do good works. (28 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *144 (07/28/12)>> 00:16 "read her blog"
130-a-17-(J.C. Carpenter, who worked at hockey games with shooting victim Jessica Ghawi (GAH'-wee), at funeral for shooting victim Jessica Ghawi)-"you Jessie Red"-J.C. Carpenter, who worked at hockey games with shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, is overcome with emotion as he remembers when she was on camera and didn't know how to turn her microphone on and repeatedly fell down on the ice. (28 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *130 (07/28/12)>> 00:17 "you Jessie Red"
129-a-15-(Jay Meloff, boyfriend of shooting victim Jessica Ghawi (GAH'-wee), at funeral for shooting victim Jessica Ghawi)-"capacity for love"-Jay Meloff, the boyfriend of shooting victim Jessica Ghawi, says news reports that have described her as a redhaired spitfire are true, but he always saw more. (28 Jul 2012)
<<CUT *129 (07/28/12)>> 00:15 "capacity for love"
APPHOTO OHSPR103: Samantha Yowler, right, pays her final respects to boyfriend Matt McQuinn, at the Maiden Lane Church of God, Saturday, July 28, 2012, in Springfield, Ohio. McQuinn shielded his girlfriend, Yowler, from gunfire during the shooting at the Aurora, Colo., movie theater on July 20. Twelve people were killed and dozens were wounded in the shooting attack at the movie theater during a showing of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Police have identified the suspected shooter as James Holmes, 24. (AP Photo/The Springfield News-Sun, Marshall Gorby) MANDATORY CREDIT (28 Jul 2012)
<<APPHOTO OHSPR103 (07/28/12)>>
APPHOTO OHDAY: The casket of Matthew McQuinn is carried from Maiden Lane Church as family and friends pay their final respects on Saturday, July 28, 2012, in Springfield, Ohio. McQuinn shielded his girlfriend, Yowler, from gunfire during the shooting at the Aurora, Colo. movie theater on July 20. Twelve people were killed and dozens were wounded in the shooting attack at a packed movie theater during a showing of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Police have identified the suspected shooter as James Holmes, 24. (AP Photo/The Dayton Daily News, Kareem Elgazzar) MANDATORY CREDIT (28 Jul 2012)
<<APPHOTO OHDAY (07/28/12)>>
