Mentor Native Among Those Killed In Colorado Mass Shooting

Mentor OH

24 March, 2021

1:02 PM

Description

BOULDER, CO — Lynn Murray, who once called Mentor home, was among the 10 people killed Monday in a mass shooting at a Colorado supermarket. Murray, 62, was spotted at King Soopers in Boulder by a friend's daughter earlier in the day. When news of the shooting reached Murray's husband, John Mackenzie, he immediately began texting his wife. He waited for a response that would never come. "I just fell over in my chair," Mackenzie told the Associated Press. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, is accused of opening fire Monday afternoon at the King Soopers store. Witnesses described hearing many gunshots, and trying to hide in closets, bathrooms, and anywhere they could run. Some customers and employees were able to escape out of loading docks. Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley was the first officer to arrive at the store, and he was shot to death, officials said. The identities of all 10 people who were killed have been released. Remember a Wife and Mother Murray and Mackenzie met at a photography studio in New York City. Murray was educated at Ohio University before leaving the Buckeye State for photography jobs at Cosmopolitan and Vogue, according to the Denver Post. When Mackenzie met his wife, he knew she was special. "She charmed the pants off me," he said. They started playing backgammon games together, chatting and flirting and eventually dating. They eventually wed and had two children. Murray retired and moved to Colorado. One of the couple's children, Olivia Mackenzie, told the Denver Post her mother was "the light" in everybody's life. "She's the kindest person I ever knew, hands down. She had an aura about her that was the coolest freakin' thing you'd ever want to know. She was just a cool chick," Mackenzie said. "She had it all together — she really did." "My mom was the least deserving person to die this way," Olivia said. Mackenzie said he spent hours consoling his children. On Tuesday, he broke down and "lost it" the grief flooding in. But he offered a message of hope to survivors and the community. "Don't live in fear. My wife, none of the victims, would ever want you to live in fear. They'd want you to be bolder and live bolder. That's what this place is about," he said. Reporting from the Associated Press and Patch's Amber Fisher was used in this article