Kirsten Hinckley and Carolyn Tuft (Photo courtesy of Carolyn Tuft)
This is a condensed interview with Carolyn Tuft. The majority of the interview is available in longer form beneath this one in this blog post. Carolyn was a single mother of four when she survived being shot three times in the Trolley Square Mall shooting in 2007. Sadly, she witnessed the death of her daughter Kirsten Hinckley as one of five victims and three other survivors that day.
We sat down in a friend’s kitchen weeks before she was invited to stand with other gun violence survivors behind President Obama as he announced his executive orders. Carolyn describes the event in detail and we share it not to be sensational, but so people might possibly grasp the horror of gun violence in the hopes of reducing it. WARNING: There are graphic descriptions of her and her daughter being shot at the 4 minute mark through 8:32. Skip this section if you want to avoid it.
Carolyn talks about what else she’s lost besides a daughter, and despite chronic pain, why she advocates to reduce gun violence.
Calls to action:
- The Sodina Project shares stories to foster connection and save lives. This grass-roots movement needs your help in connecting with others. Please share the stories and blog posts with your friends and social networks if they have moved you or made you reflective. You will find sharing options at the end of each post.
- Visit our gun violence/safety page to learn about and get involved with groups advocating for ways to reduce gun violence.
If you have a story to share about the death of a loved one as a result of violence, please submit your story or contact us here .
Sodina | Voices to Stop Violence
#Sodina | #Voicestostopviolence
Accompanying music: Star Seed by Jennifer Zulli
Carolyn Tuft (in green) with President Obama at the announcement of his executive orders related to gun safety on January 5, 2016
This is the longer form interview with Carolyn Tuft where the conversation flows and has very little editing. A condensed version is posted above in this same blog. Carolyn was a single mother of four when she survived being shot three times in the Trolley Square Mall shooting in 2007. Sadly, she witnessed the death of her daughter Kirsten Hinckley as one of five victims and three other survivors that day.
We sat down in a friend’s kitchen weeks before she was invited to stand with other gun violence survivors behind President Obama as he announced his executive orders. Carolyn describes the shooting event in very graphic detail detail and we share it not to be sensational, but so people might possibly grasp the horror of gun violence in the hopes of reducing it. WARNING: There are graphic descriptions of her and her daughter being shot at the 7:16 mark through 13:09. Skip this section if you want to avoid it.
Kirsten was friendly, selfless, and wise beyond her fifteen years. She was a typical teenager with a messy room, wondering if she’d be asked to the prom and trying to figure out what her 16th birthday surprise might be. Despite her young age, she had her sights set on what she wanted to do in life. She wanted to be an architect, she had her school picked out and knew the requirements she’d have to meet to get in.
The impacts on Carolyn’s life beyond losing a daughter are immense. She describes what it’s like losing her business, health insurance, house, and credit, all due to her recovery, the injuries she sustained and her medical expenses. Despite all the physical and emotional pain, Carolyn offers advice for living and getting the most out of the life we have.
Call to action: Visit our gun violence/safety page to learn about and get involved with groups advocating for ways to reduce gun violence.
If you have a story to share about the death of a loved one as a result of violence, please submit your story or contact us here .
Sodina | Voices to Stop Violence
# Sodina | #Voicestostopviolence
Accompanying music: Star Seed by Jennifer Zulli
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