Cascade teen at Colorado theater during shooting returns home

CASCADE — Katie Trakel, the Cascade teen who was at the Aurora, Colorado theater when a gunman opened fire, killing 12 people and wounding more than 50 during the Dark Knight Rises midnight showing, returned home Monday night, July 23rd.

15-year-old Katie Trakel traveled to Colorado with her family for the National Stuttering Convention. She’s made friends from all over the country during the annual event. She went with a group of them to the Century 16 theater Thursday night, July 19th.

Trakel was in Theater 8. The gunman chose Theater 9. She said she could hear the gunfire but thought it was special effects.

“We didn’t think too much of it. Then (her friend) Gage and another friend, Steve, they ran out together. Gage looked at his arm like ‘what’s going on’ and saw he’d been shot so those two went out,” Trakel said.

Trakel’s friend was shot in the arm but will be okay.

"I've definitely learned to be thankful and just be thankful that we're all okay, and just live your life day-by-day because you never know what will happen. Definitely our hearts go out to the families that weren't as lucky as we were," Trakel said.

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