First victim named is aspiring young female sportscaster who escaped mass shooting in Toronto just weeks ago

Jessica G hawi narrowly missed shooting at Eaton Mall on June 2

Moved to Denver from San Antonio, Texas last year to pursue TV dream



Tweeted about her excitement to see film just moments before shooting

An aspiring sportscaster who narrowly missed a fatal shooting in Canada in June was among the 12 victims gunned down at a Denver movie theatre during a late-night screening of the new Batman film.

Jessica Ghawi, who had moved from San Antonio to Denver last year, was shot after a gunman broke into the Aurora Mall cinema and fired at random 30 minutes into The Dark Knight Rises screening.



Just weeks earlier, Jessica had written a moving blog post after avoiding a deadly shooting in Eaton Mall, Toronto, where one man was killed and seven were injured on June 2.



And, in a further heartbreaking twist, she tweeted about how excited she was to see the Batman film just moments before Colorado gunman James Holmes, 24, broke in and fired at the audience.

Victim: Jessica Ghawi, pictured, was one of the 12 victims gunned down at a screening of the Batman movie in Denver. The aspiring sportscaster had avoided a shooting in Canada last month

Tragic: Ms Ghawi's death came after she had encouraged friends to attend the film screening with her Promising: She was developing a reputation as a sports journalist from a young age

In her blog post on June 5, Jessica wrote that she was in the food court of the mall just moments before gunfire broke out and an 'odd feeling' led her away.

'I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing,' she wrote. 'So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member.

'Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.'

Just moments before the Denver shooting, Jessica , who also goes by the name Jessica Redfield, sent Tweets about her impatience to see the Batman film, writing: 'Movie doesn’t start for 20 minutes!'

Fan: Friends said Jessica had moved to Colorado to pursue her dream of becoming a sportscaster

Missed: Friends flocked to Twitter to pay tribute to Jessica, who had excitedly tweeted about the film



Excitement: Moments before the movie, Jessica tweeted her excitement at seeing the film and poked fun at a friend for not seeing it

Jessica, who wrote for sports blog Busted Coverage , was watching the movie with long-time friend Brent Lowak, who was visiting from Texas.

He was shot twice but survived, his father said. He underwent surgery this morning.



She had tweeted: 'Never thought I’d have to coerce a guy into seeing the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises with me.'

Her brother, Jordan Ghawi, confirmed her death while on his way to the San Antonio airport to catch a flight to Denver.

He tweeted: 'This could easily be the worst night of my life. It appears that my sister has been fatally wounded in a mass shooting at a movie premiere in Denver, CO.'

Tragic: Jessica was in the cinema with her friend Brent Lowak (right), who escaped with an injury

Shot: Brent, right, is reportedly one of the victims undergoing surgery after the deadly shooting Tribute: Family and friends have been sharing memories of Ms Ghawi after news emerged of her death

Her friend Peter Burns added: 'Lost a very close friend in the shooting last night. [Jessica] came to Denver to pursue career. I’m shaking.'

Another friend, Natalie Tejeda, wrote: 'My friend Jessie Ghawi was killed in the Aurora Shooting - she was an aspiring sportscaster - she will be missed.'

Her parents also confirmed the death to a local radio station and are travelling to Colorado.



Jessica and Brent were among 12 people killed and 59 injured while in the auditorium to watch The Dark Knight Rises.

A haunting photograph from the scene shows one father, Tom Sullivan, brandishing a picture of his son Alex, who is missing, to the media. Alex was celebrating his 27th birthday by going to the film.

One other victim, who was shot in the head, leg, arm and chest but survived, told friends he felt as if he's been 'punched in the head' and his 'arm … blown off' after he was hit.

'Lucky': Louis Duran, left, was hit in the head, leg, arm and chest. He is pictured with friend Jahlil Hall Survivor: Marcus Weaver shows the wounds he received in his arm during the shooting

Safe: Jamie Rohrs escaped with his four-month-old son, Ethan, during the shooting Anguish: Amanda Medek, left, was pictured outside the cinema looking for her missing sister Micayla, right



Louis Duran, 18, was released from the hospital and is recovering at home, his high school friend Jahlil Hall told ABC .



Duran had missed his usual Thursday night basketball game to go to the midnight screening with two friends. They were sitting towards the front of the theatre when they were hit.



'He said it felt like getting punched in the head and it was really hot,' Hall said. 'Then he felt like his arm had been blown off. He ran over to the stairs and some random guy helped him out of the theater.'

Duran then took off his shirt and wrapped it around his head in to apply pressure to his wounds, and was taken to the Medical Center of Aurora, where he was treated and released.

'He's lucky to be alive, definitely,' Hall said, adding that one of their friends was grazed by a bullet, while another is in intensive care.

Another victim , Christopher Rapoza from Brooklyn, New York, posted an image of his blood-stained shirt on image sharing site imgur, with a bullet hole visible around heart-height.

Hit: Christopher Rapoza uploaded pictures of his wound after he was hit by a bullet in the cinema



Harrowing: Rapoza holds up the t-shirt he was wearing when he was grazed by the bullet

'I was there and I was shot... Well, grazed really,' he wrote.



'I'm doing all right just a little shook up. Me and my girlfriend waited until it seemed the shooting was finished so we were some of the last people out of the theatre and there was a lot of blood.'



Just after the shooting, at around 4am, Rapoza wrote on Facebook: 'Perry and I were just at a midnight showing of Batman in Colorado when some f***ing psycho decided to open fire on the crowd.

'I was grazed in the back with a bullet but am fine. Perry is unscathed, but unfortunately has lost her shoes. A lot of other people weren't so lucky.



'I've been inspected by a number of paramedics and they've given me the okay to get to the hospital for stitches on my own. Just wanted to get it out there now so that everyone knows I'm okay.'



The youngest victi m to die was just 12 years old, while a three-month-old baby also sustained a gunshot wound. A six six year old was also shot.



Scene: The Century 16 cinema in Aurora, Colorado, where a gunman shot 12 people and injured 38 Plea: Tom Sullivan holds a photo of his son Alex who was celebrating his 27th birthday by going to the film. He is pictured pleaded with the media to help him find his son

Pain: Friends gather for a prayer outside the theatre where James Holmes opened fire

Twelve people, ranging from 16 to 31 , were taken to the Medical Center of Aurora with gunshot wounds. Three were treated for chemical exposure, most likely from tear gas.

Denver Health had seven victims - one in critical and the rest in fair condition.

The University of Colorado hospital was treating 21 people, including the baby, for gunshot wounds. The oldest is 45.



A six-year-old was being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where a total of six victims ranging were taken. The oldest patient there is 31. Their condition wasn't known.