good fortune and the swift intervention of the Salt Lake Police Department and an off-duty Ogden (UT) Police Officer. The unnamed off-duty officer, according to one report, assisted in drawing the suspect's fire away from other shoppers and returned fire with an off-duty weapon.Descriptions of the incident include bodies lying face down where they had fallen in store entrances my readers can relate to: Pottery Barn Kids, Williams Sonoma, Hallmark Cards, and an unnamed children’s clothing store, in which the gunman was killed by responding tactical police officers and the off-duty Ogden PD officer. The Salt Lake Police and the Ogden officer should be praised for their tactical and time saving decision to skip the procedure of establishing a secure perimeter around the mall, opting instead to immediately form “Emergency Action Teams” and confront the gunman. As Salt Lake City and other communities who experience terrifying incidents like Monday’s shootings can attest, local police, though often mocked or vilified in the media and by citizens who think they will never need help, daily place their lives in jeopardy in defense of total strangers and are a most welcome sight to helpless victims.
The horrific nature of Monday’s shootings raises the inevitable question faced by families of the deceased, wounded, and psychologically terrorized: Can they ever forgive the shooter? In the aftermath of tragedy, the impulse response, fueled by adrenaline and anger, is usually to bitterly answer “no.” People cope with loss in a variety of ways, but to anyone who has been wronged, injured, or even suffered the death of loved ones at the hands of another, the following story may help salve your wounds and heal your soul.
This article, which appeared in today’s Deseret Morning News, describes another recent tragedy in Utah and is a powerful example of forgiveness where forgiveness seems impossible, and the healing that faith can bring even in the face of indescribable grief. The following are excerpts and photos courtesy of the Deseret Morning News and Deseret News photographer August Miller. Spy The News! encourages readers to follow the links to the article and read it in its entirety:
As Christopher Williams was being extricated from his overturned car onto a backboard to be taken to the hospital, he looked over at his vehicle and the car that had just crashed into him, killing his pregnant wife and two of his children.
It was at that moment Williams said he had a decision to make. That decision, he said, was to "unconditionally forgive" the person who had just caused the accident. By forgiving, Williams said the healing process could continue without being "hampered by another step."
Monday, Williams showed the great composure some had already seen since Friday night's accident as he addressed the media for the first time.
Friday's accident on 2000 East near 2700 South claimed the lives of his 41-year-old wife, Michelle, who was about six months pregnant; 11-year-old son, Ben; and 9-year-old daughter, Anna. His 6-year-old son, Sam, was taken to Primary Children's Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition Monday.
Police believe the 17-year-old driver accused of smashing into the Williams family had been drinking.
Christopher Williams has shown remarkable strength, which he claims comes partly from his LDS faith and partly from his wife. It was through his wife that he learned the power of forgiveness, he said. "This is what she would want to do," he said of forgiving the allegedly drunken teenage driver.
After 18 1/2 years of marriage, Williams called the accident and his reaction to it an "exam" from his wife "to make sure I was listening." He called his wife a humble and forgiving person whose example he tried to emulate.
As soon as Williams decided he would unconditionally forgive the other driver, he said it was at that moment he heard Sam calling to him from the back of the wrecked car.
But he admits the events of the past four days have been a bitter cup. "I know it will all be all right one day," he said. "That bitter cup doesn't have to be drunk all at once. But we know one day it will be empty." [emphasis added]
Williams said his memory of what happened that night is still a little "foggy," and he did not want to discuss details of the accident until he had a chance to talk with Salt Lake City police.
He said Sam is in stable condition with some broken bones and is being medicated, but Williams did not go into many other details about his son's condition. He added that Sam was not aware yet that his mother and two of his siblings were dead. . . .
. . . As far as the severity of the case, Miller [Salt Lake City District Attorney] said Friday's accident "ranks very high in my book." Miller called the accident a "profound tragedy" for the teen's family and Williams' family. She said she has been touched by the father's kindness toward the defendant. However, that will not influence the way she screens charges.
"It's one thing to forgive someone," she said. "It's important we hold people accountable. The victim's role is to determine how they react to forgiving. My role is to determine how to keep the community safe. . . ."
At Highland Park Elementary School where Ben was a sixth-grader and Anna was in fourth grade . . . A table was set up in the front of the school with flowers and pictures of the two classmates. Counselors were at the school all day Monday to help both teachers and students deal with the tragedy.
To help the healing process, Chris Williams has asked members of the community to conduct their own act of kindness or forgiveness by Valentine's Day, write about it and send it to his two surviving sons.
Those letters can be sent to williamsvalentine@myavant.com. [emphasis added] The Williams' 14-year-old son, Michael, was not with the family at the time of the accident.
Donations to help the Williams family can also be made at all Zions Bank locations.
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