Aspiring sports reporter killed in Colorado shooting
Jessica Redfield (photo from @JessicaRedfield twitter account)
By now, most people have heard about the tragic shooting on Thursday night at the Aurora, Colo. premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises”. One of the victims, Jessica Redfield (whose real name was Jessica Ghawi), was an aspiring sports reporter who survived a shooting at a Toronto mall in June only to be killed at the movies Thursday night.
We here at She’s Game Sports identify with Redfield, who was pursuing a career that all of us have also pursued. Like us, Redfield had a passion for sports and a passion for reporting that carried her into a field dominated by men. She moved from her hometown in Texas to Colorado in order to pursue her dream, and she was interning with 104.3 The Fan at the time of her death. While we did not know Redfield, we are sure that like us, she had to work extra hard to prove herself as a legitimate sports reporter, and based on the stories of hers that we have read, she would have been a terrific asset to any media outlet she worked for. The heartbroken tweets from her colleagues this morning only reinforces the impact she made during her short time as a member of the sports media.
Redfield’s legacy extends beyond the media world. In addition to covering and blogging about hockey, Redfield worked as an intern for You Can Play, an organization devoted to promoting respect and safety for all athletes regardless of sexual orientation. As any reporter knows, spare time is often at a premium in this business, and that Redfield took it upon herself to devote her time to this cause says quite a bit about her character.
It is difficult to understand how a tragedy like this can happen. All of us here at She’s Game Sports are keeping our thoughts with all of the victims, their families and their friends.
Check out Alice Cook and Tanya Ray Fox‘s take on the tragedy.
