Victims remembered
Eight students and their teacher were shot to death on Thursday during the first week of Writing 115, an introductory expository writing course at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore.
They were a diverse group, including young adults just out of high school and older students who were turning to education to better their lives:
Lucero Alcaraz, 19
In the hours after the shooting, Alcaraz’s sister, Maria Leticia Alcaraz, posted to Facebook that her sister was missing. And then broke the news that Lucero was dead.
“Never in a million years would I have imagined going through something like this. She was my best friend and my sister,” Maria wrote. “I can’t begin to describe how I feel. I’m full of anger, pain, sadness, regret that I didn’t get the chance to see her or prevent this from happening.”
Alcaraz was an aspiring pediatric nurse, according to her family.
“I was so proud of you,” her sister wrote.
Treven Taylor Anspach, 20
His family said that Anspach, of Sutherlin, Ore., was “one of the most positive young men, always looking for the best in life.”
The son of a local firefighter, he was a second-year student at the college who aspired to become a paramedic.
His brother described him as a “real cool dude to hang out with, always brings a good time, a smile to your face.”
Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18
Carnes, the daughter of a local paramedic, was a new student at the college.
“This isn’t how life is supposed to work and I am struggling to wrap my mind around the entire situation,” her cousin Lisa Crawford wrote on Facebook.
Carnes was also the great-granddaughter of a first cousin of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). The senator was among a group of top officials who called on the community to pull together. He described the pain of learning that the shooting had touched so close to home.
“Rebecka’s beautiful spirit will be enormously missed,” he said.
Quinn Glen Cooper, 18
Cooper’s family said he was a “funny, sweet, compassionate and … [a] wonderful loving person.”
“He always stood up for people,” their statement says. Cooper was going to take his brown belt test next week, and loved dancing and voice acting. He was also enrolled in an acting class at the college and was remembered by a classmate as “very outgoing” and kind.
“Our lives are shattered beyond repair,” his family said.
Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59
Dietz, 59, formerly of Orange County, and her 18year-old daughter were both at the school during the violence. Her daughter was unhurt, but Dietz died in the classroom.
“She was a very energetic, very kind, kind soul,” her friend and former husband, Eric, wrote on his Facebook page. “Kim was an exceptional woman.”
Dietz, who enjoyed gardening, was the longtime caretaker at Pyrenees Vineyard.
Lucas Eibel, 18
Eibel, of Roseburg, was “an amazing soccer player,” his family wrote, noting his academic achievements, including graduating from Roseburg High School with high academic marks, a Ford Family Foundation scholarship and an Umpqua Community College scholars award.
He also volunteered at a local animal shelter. His family said it “would take 18 years” to describe “how amazing he was.”
Jason Johnson, 33
College life was just beginning for Johnson, who was in his first week at the school, his mother told NBC News.
Tonja Johnson Engel said her son had struggled with drug abuse, but decided to continue his education after completing a sixmonth rehab program with the Salvation Army in Portland. She said he was proud of his accomplishment.
“The other day, he looked at me and hugged me and said, ‘Mom, how long have you been waiting for one of your kids to go to college?’