Family confirms Cobb County man was victim in Chattanooga shooting, WSB-TV
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Family confirms Cobb County man was victim in Chattanooga shooting
Updated: Jul 17, two thousand fifteen – Ten:17 AM
COBB COUNTY, Ga. – A family spokesperson has confirmed one of the victims in the Chattanooga shooting attack was a man from Marietta.
“We don’t understand the whys. Senseless is a word used too often but this you can’t even drape your hat on,” Kingery said.
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Wells was interchanging text messages Thursday with his gf of two ½ years, excited that she had booked a flight to visit him in Chattanooga after months apart.
"Can’t wait anymore," Wells texted. "Yes you can honey," his gf, Caroline Dove, replied.
His next two words would be the last she’d ever hear from him.
"ACTIVE SHOOTER," he wrote.
She thought he was kidding: "You are so weird," she replied.
Hours of muffle. "I love you," she attempted. Hours more passed, the news out of Chattanooga becoming clearer. "Hon, I need you to response me please," she wrote.
It would not be until Friday that she learned his fate.
The two met at Georgia Southern University, but he soon followed in his family footsteps and enlisted. His grandfather had been in the Air Force, and his grandmother and mother served in the Navy, Dove said. Dove, too, plans to enlist in the Marines, a process she began in November. She said she is not dissuaded by what happened.
Through tears, Dove remembered her beau’s love of flag football and Nerf guns, his passion for U.S. history, his capability to treat her when she was grouchy and how good he was at listening. He dreamed of being a drill sergeant, and when they last eyed each other around Valentine’s Day, he gave her a gold-and-silver ring. When the time came to propose, she said, he knew to ask her parents very first.
Wells’ mother was watching television coverage of the shooting when Marines appeared at her door. She knew what the visit meant.
"Every service parent, especially moms, fears opening the front door and witnessing people in uniform," said Andy Kingery, a friend who is acting as a family spokesman.
Late Friday the other victims were identified as: Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan of Hampden, Massachusetts; Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt of Burke County, North Carolina; and Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist of Polk, Wisconsin. Sullivan, Wyatt and Holmquist had served in Iraq, Afghanistan or both.
Diante McIntosh told Channel Two’s Carl Willis that Wells was his best friend and roomy at Georgia Southern University and the day he met him, the very first thing Wells said was that he wished to be a Marine.
Friends of Wells, who attended Georgia Southern University after graduating from the Cobb County high school in 2012, flooded Facebook overnight with messages of shock and condolence.
“Heard the news and instantly went into denial, but the truth is you are gone and for the very first time in a long time I’m confused, I don’t know how to act or feel truly,” Julio Aberto Pedraza wrote on Wells’ Facebook page, which is packed with photos of the youthful Marine. “All I can think about is all the good times in high school we had.”
More than one hundred people left comments of condolence overnight on a posting about his death on the “Sprayberry High School Memorial” Facebook page that chronicles the deaths of the Marietta school’s alumni.
In lieu of flowers or money, the family would suggest a bounty to the following charity.
Please make contributions in the name of Lance Corporal Skip Wells to Marinesandmickey.org.
This group facilitates trips to Disney for Marines that meet certain needs and criteria.
Skip Wells was a enormous fan of Disney World and the Marines. The family feels that his memory life would be decently honored by this group.
Our sister station in Boston, learned another victim was 40-year-old Thomas Sullivan. He was from Massachusetts.
A tribute post was posted on the page of Nathan Bill’s Bar and Restaurant in Springfield, which Sullivan’s brother reportedly wields.
"He was our hero and he will never be forgotten. Please keep his family & friends in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you Tommy for protecting us," the post reads.
Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno said in a statement that Sullivan’s death "is a tragic loss not just for the Springfield community but for our entire nation."
Staff Sgt. David A Wyatt was a father of two youthfull children.
Wyatt lived in Burke County, NC before enlisting in 2004. He deployed three times to serve the county, including twice to Iraq.
Neighbor Donna Tate said she was heartbroken when she witnessed a van total of Marines driving down her street.
"The Marines came to our street and parked on the street, and three of them, dressed, came out of the van. They were driving in their dress uniforms with their portfolio, and from practice, I knew they were bringing some kind of tragic news to the family,” Tate said.
So proud a Marine was Sgt. Carson Holmquist that when he finished boot camp, he returned to his hometown of Grantsburg, Wisconsin, and paid a visit to his high school dressed in his formal blues. Grantsburg High School Principal Josh Watt, who was one of Holmquist’s football coaches, remembers the day his former cornerback demonstrated up, the pride in his accomplishment apparent.
Fresh information arises about shooter as community mourns
More than 1,000 people attended an interfaith memorial service for victims of the Tennessee shootings Friday evening.
There will be a public memorial for Skip Wells Tuesday at Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Ga. Details are still being finalized, but the gathering will be in the school’s stadium and begin at seven p.m. Funeral arrangements are still pending.
A man who said he is a manager at Jersey Sports Bar and Grill sent WSB-TV a photo on Facebook, showcasing a reserved seat in the fallen Marine’s honor.