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The parking terrace where the gunfire began has been demolished. Hard Rock Cafe, where one victim of the Trolley Square shootings ran for help, has gone out of business.
The north parking lot where police and firefighters erected a command and triage post Feb. 12, 2007, is now a Whole Foods market.
Trolley Square has moved on since a gunman opened fire on shoppers and patrons four years ago. A renovation planned even before the shootings has changed the mall's look.
But one change hasn't been made: There still is no memorial to the five people killed and four wounded by 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic.
That may change in the coming year.
Trolley Square management on Friday said they plan to build a fountain and reflecting pond to memorialize the victims. Dawn Katter, Trolley Square's property manager, said the fountain and pond could be dedicated this fall or in early 2012, possibly to mark the event's five-year anniversary.
"Our goal is whatever we place out there is going to be appreciated by all, and it's not going to reflect on the tragedy at Trolley Square but the peacefulness," Katter said. "The goal is not to remind people of the tragedy at Trolley Square but to create something that people can reflect on."
Katter said the fountain and pond may not include the names of victims, the date of the shootings or other overt references to the violence, but rather take what she termed a "peace garden" approach. But the intent will be to create a memorial, she said.
Some of the victims' families welcomed the news Friday. Rich Quinn, whose wife, Vanessa, was killed, prefers an implied reference to the shootings.
"They run a business there," Quinn said. "You don't want people thinking bad thoughts as they're walking into your place of business. However, it did happen there so [there should be] something the people involved know what it's for."
Vickie Walker, whose husband, Jeff, was murdered and her then-16-year-old son A.J. was wounded and left with long-term brain injuries in the attack, was pleased to hear of the memorial plans and said she wants the names of the killed and wounded inscribed.
"It's not like it was a collective group of hundreds or thousands," Walker said.
Mall management discussed the possibility of a memorial shortly after the shootings. For about three years, Trolley Square has been undergoing a $60-million renovation. That work will climax next month with the opening of Whole Foods, the mall's new anchor store.
Katter said management was waiting for the renovations to progress before inserting a memorial. That has made it slower to come than many other remembrances. Plaques honoring Utah peace officers killed in the line of duty are typically posted within a year. Bronze sculptures of the nine men killed in the 2007 Crandall Canyon mine disaster were dedicated 13 months after their deaths.
Katter said the fountain and pool will sit outside the buildings near the center of the complex between Pottery Barn and Whole Foods.
"We've had two or three different designs and we're just trying to pick the one that will be the most suitable with the surrounding buildings," Katter said.
Walker said she has wanted a memorial at Trolley Square but has not raised the issue with its owners. She said a memorial is important not only for the victims but to remind people of the community support shown after the shootings.
Various fundraisers and service projects have been held to remember or benefit the victims. Vanessa Quinn's family started scholarships and bike rides. Walker started a nonprofit program called Circle-The-Wagons, which helps victims of violent crime.
Walker said while a fountain and pool will remind her of what happened to her family, "at the same time I can't think about that incident without thinking also about how the community supported us."
About the Trolley Square shootings
R On Feb. 12, 2007, Sulejman Talovic went to Trolley Square with a pistol and a shotgun. Talovic, 18, killed five people and injured four others before he was intercepted by off-duty Ogden police Officer Ken Hammond. Members of a Salt Lake City police SWAT team arrived moments later and killed Talovic. —
The victims
Killed:
Jeffrey Walker • 52
Vanessa Quinn • 29
Kirsten Hinckley • 15
Teresa Ellis • 29
Brad Frantz • 24
Injured*:
Alan J. "A.J." Walker • 16
Shawn Munns • 34
Stacy Hanson • 53
Carolyn Tuft • 44
*Age at the time —
The 911 calls
O Here are the links to listen to the 911 calls from the Trolley Square shootings. Warning: Some calls contain graphic descriptions and language.
> bit.ly/911callcenter
> bit.ly/trolley01
> bit.ly/trolley02