Two years later, Aurora shooting survivor moves forward

By Robby Korth

DENVER – It wasn’t just the two bullets that tore through Marcus Weaver’s shoulder that changed his life after the Aurora movie theater shooting.

Sure, they had to work their way out of his arm, which still occasionally goes numb and requires doctor’s visits to this day. But recovering from the images and the wound of having a friend die right next to him turned him instantly into a victim.

Two years later, thanks to his wife Megan Sharp-Weaver and a big dog named Frank, Weaver says he is no longer a victim.

“I realized I’m a survivor,” Weaver said at his Denver apartment. “You made it through this. You see what the blessings are because your life was spared on the floor of that theater.

“It’s a miracle that I’m even talking today.”

Coping with the shooting has become easier, but as the anniversary approaches the calls from reporters increase. Dark thoughts come flooding back.

Late at night, when Weaver struggles to sleep because of nightmares, he’ll talk to his wife or take Frank for a walk.

“Just like my arm, we’re gonna be OK,” Weaver said. “We’re going to move forward through this … Aurora was just another shot in the arm for Colorado.

“We are moving forward as a community.”

Robby Korth is a News21 Peter Kiewet Fellow.