Among the victims of the movie theater shootings in Aurora, Colo., overnight was Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring sports journalist, broadcaster and radio station intern. She moved from San Antonio to Denver, according to KENS-TV, and was attending the premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" with a friend, Brent Lowak, who was reportedly shot at least once.

Denver sports talk radio host Peter Burns tweeted about Ghawi's death and used his show today to pay tribute to the victims, including his friend who tweeted and wrote under the name "Jessica Redfield.” Burns, who knew Ghawi in San Antonio, described her as a “passionate” NHL fan who “fell in love with hockey” and a person with a “big heart.” Burns said Ghawi, who moved to Denver about a year ago, was also working to set up a nonprofit foundation to help victims of the Colorado wildfires:

Devastated. Lost a very close friend in the shooting last night. @JessicaRedfield came to Denver to pursue sports career. I'm shaking

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsRadio) July 20, 2012

After that news, @JessicaRedfield's Twitter feed was filled with messages of sympathy and prayer. Ghawi had tweeted this earlier Thursday night:

Of course we're seeing Dark Knight.Redheaded Texan spitfire, people should never argue with me.Maybe I should get in on those NHL talks...

— Jessica Redfield (@JessicaRedfield) July 20, 2012

Her final tweet was part of conversation with Jesse Spector, a friend and national hockey writer for The Sporting News:

@jessespector MOVIE DOESN'T START FOR 20 MINUTES

— Jessica Redfield (@JessicaRedfield) July 20, 2012

This message and photo was posted by another friend of Ghawi:

My friend Jessica Ghawi was killed in the #Aurora Shooting-she was an aspiring sportscaster-she will be missedyfrog.com/oc7ruuhj

— Natalie Tejeda (@natalietejeda) July 20, 2012

From Natalie Tejeda via yfrog


As was this:

My friend Jessica Redfield among the victims in CO shooting. An amazing heart and one of the good ones. I'm devastated twitter.com/MikeLavender/s…

— Mike Lavender®" (@MikeLavender) July 20, 2012

She had connections throughout the world of hockey:

Are hearts go out to the victims of the Colorado Shooting. We knew one of the victims. RIP @JessicaRedfieldtwitpic.com/5bao1v"

— Green Men (@TheGreenMen) July 20, 2012

From JessicaRedfield via twitpic


Ghaai, who wrote about sports among her many professional pursuits, had narrowly missed the shooting in Toronto's Eaton Centre in June. She wrote about that experience in her blog:

"I can’t get this odd feeling out of my chest. This empty, almost sickening feeling won’t go away. I noticed this feeling when I was in the Eaton Center in Toronto just seconds before someone opened fire in the food court. An odd feeling which led me to go outside and unknowingly out of harm‘s way. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around how a weird feeling saved me from being in the middle of a deadly shooting."

Athletes joined the rest of the nation and world in reaction with shock and sadness:

So u telling me I can't even feel safe at the movies now!!? SMH. My prayers goes out to all the families involved in Aurora, Colorado.

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 20, 2012

And this:

I'm so sorry to hear of the tragedy in Colorado.My prayers are with the families & friends of the victims.

— Ryan Lochte (@ryanlochte) July 20, 2012

And this:

Prayers out 2 those lost and those who lost loved ones in the horrible colorado shootingdon't kno how some1 can do something like this

— LaMarr Woodley (@LaMarrWoodley) July 20, 2012