Dad: Colo. shooting victim had "heart of gold"

The undated photo provided by the family shows Alex Teves. Teves, 24, was one of the victims killed in the Friday, July 20, 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. / AP Photo/Teves Family

(AP) PHOENIX - An Arizona man who was among the Colorado movie theater shooting victims was cremated this week, as his father remembered him as having a gift for defusing tense situations and a "heart of gold."

Alex Teves and 11 others were shot and killed Friday in Aurora, Colo., at a midnight showing of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises."

Services were held Thursday in Denver for another victim, Micayla Medek, 23.

Teves, who grew up in Phoenix and graduated from an Arizona high school and college, died while shielding his girlfriend from the gunfire. His father, Tom Teves, said his wife did not get a chance to say goodbye before their son was cremated because he didn't want her to see the badly wounded body.

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"He was one of the kindest kids who always gave of himself," Tom Teves told the Arizona Republic. "You won't find anyone who has a bad word to say about him, and that was true even before he died."

James Holmes is accused of opening fire on a theater, killing the dozen people and injuring 58. He is due to be formally charged at a court hearing scheduled Monday in Colorado.

Tom Teves said he was on vacation in Hawaii with his wife and two other sons when they got the news from Alex's girlfriend, who was hysterical. Alex Teves recently earned his master's degree in psychology and was planning to become a physical therapist, his father said.

The younger Teves served as a mentor at the University of Arizona in Tucson and at the University of Denver. One of the people he mentored contacted the family this week saying that Alex Teves had set him on the right path, changing his life.

"Alex had the heart of a lion," his father said. "He had a heart of gold, too. He marched to the beat of his own drummer. He never was concerned about being cool."

Tom Teves added: "At 18, he was a better man than I am at 52. Even in death, he is teaching me."

23 Photos

The Aurora shooting victims

At Medek's funeral, mourners wore pink ribbons, some with Hello Kitty faces on them, in honor of her fondness for the color and the character.

Her young second cousin, Kailyn Vigil, sobbed and some family members had to be supported as Medek's coffin was placed in the hearse.

Medek attended Aurora Community College and worked at a Subway sandwich shop. Family members described her as loving and independent-minded.

Visitation was held Thursday for theater victim Alex Sullivan, who was known as a gentle man with a glowing smile. His funeral will be private, and no details have been released.

Meanwhile, the body of a former Reno, Nev., resident who died in the shooting was being flown home to be buried.

The family of 26-year-old Navy veteran Jonathan Blunk said his body is to arrive Friday at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, KOLO-TV reported (http://goo.gl/UdxVr ). Blunk graduated from Reno's Hug High School in 2004.

His funeral is scheduled for Aug. 3 at the Mountain View Mortuary.

[matt6052]

Reports say that he must wear a bullet proof vest when taking an hour of exercize each day. They're afraid that some other inmates might try to kill him, but the only people with guns on the inside are the jailers.

[167irishboy]

What a tragedy.

[Keod1965]

Violent movies and T.V. programs have adversely affected our nation more than we may be willing to admit. Why do companies advertise at movie theaters and during television commercial breaks? They know they can influence people to buy their products. Likewise the content of violent movies and television programs, complete with murder and foul language can influence people's thinking and actions. This honorable young man and others lost their lives in Aurora perhaps because another person was "inspired" by what he has seen and heard in the "entertainment" he enjoyed to act in a grossly inappropriate way. Can't the entertainment industry work to lift people's spirits and to truly inspire people to greater morality and respect?

[Keod1965]

Violent movies and T.V. shows are influencing our society more than we may be willing to admit. Why do sponsors advertise before movies and at commercial breaks? They can influence people to buy their products. It makes sense that the content of movies and T.V. shows can influence people's thinking and actions. Why can't movies and television programs lift our spirits and influence us to become better, more moral and respectful people?