Among the three people killed on Saturday in a mall shooting in Columbia, Md., was 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo from College Park.
The shooting that took place that day was a shock for shoppers who were present during the incident.
However, it was the most disturbing for family and friends of Benlolo who were informed of the devastating news.
Growing up in a military family, Benlolo moved often and resided in other states like Colorado before making her way to Maryland in 2010.
Many remembered her as a hardworking “super mom” dedicated to providing for her 2-year-old son.
Friends like Kaela Bugg described her as “an amazing person…. [who] had such a good head on her shoulders,” The Baltimore Sun reported.
Her male friend, Abhishek Rishi, is still in disbelief that Benlolo was one of the victims that day. He immediately posted a Facebook status after hearing that the shooting took place at Zumiez skate store where his friend worked.
“She never said anything bad about anybody” Rishi said. “She was just one of those people you wanted to be around. She was just genuinely happy.
Benlolo was an assistant working manager at the skate store. According to how family and friends described her, she took pride in her work.
“She was all excited because she was the manager there,” said her grandfather John Feins who also shared custody of Benlolo.
Feins implied the disgust he felt towards his granddaughter’s senseless death, especially since some “idiot” took her life while she was attending to her usual day job.
The other victim was identified as Benlolo’s co-worker, 25-year-old Tyler Johnson. Friends described him as a quiet but fun skater boy.
It’s unclear what the motive behind the shooting was, but investigators say that it may be related to a domestic dispute.
The gunman, who has been confirmed as 19-year-old Darion Aguilar, was said to not have any criminal history or signs of violence according to family.
He took his own life following the fatal shooting.
Benlolo and Johnson’s memorial page has reached over 6,000 likes since Saturday. A separate Facebook page was also made over the weekend in memory of the young mother.
