Colorado shooting tragedy hits close to home

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Friday's tragedy hit very close to home for the ABC 57 News family.

One of our evening producers, Emily Allen, lost a close friend in that senseless shooting.

She was a young lady who recently toured our TV studios here in South Bend.

On Friday, Emily sat down with ABC 57's Keitha Nelson to reflect on Jessica Ghawi's life and this painful loss.

As many of us woke up to hear heartbreaking news of a deadly shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., we gasped, shook our heads, and some of us prayed for the men, women, and children we have never met.

ABC 57 News Producer Emily Allen cried as she learned that one of her closest friends, Jessica Ghawi, was among the 12 people who were gunned down and killed.

Allen was among those who attended the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight" at Movies 14 in Mishawaka. While they walked out after the movie, unharmed - it was a completely different, and horrific scene in Aurora.

Allen said things could have ended for her friend just one month ago. In early June, Ghawi survived a mall shooting at Toronto's Eaton Center.

She wrote in her very latest blog entry, just days after the shooting, about how precious life is:

"Every second of every day is a gift I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given."

Her last tweet this morning read:

"Movie doesn't start for 20 minutes."

Allen lost a friend, Ghawi's parents... a child., and many others... loved ones, leaving many people, including Allen asking the question, "Why?"