DAYTON — A woman from the Dayton area was one of five people killed in a shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina last week. Now her friends planning to unite to honor her life.
Nicole Connors, 52, was on the porch talking to a neighbor when she was killed, her husband, Tracey Howard, told The Associated Press.
Connors was a 1988 graduates of Chaminade Julienne.
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News Center 7 spoke with Darren Byrd, a friend of Connors, and he said he was shocked when he found out what happened to Nicole.
“It seemed like when you see that mass shooting and you just see it, but to actually be connected to someone that lost their life, it does seem surreal,” Byrd said.
Byrd and Connors had known each other since they were kids.
“We all became friends hanging out at the Salem Mall, going to difference skating rinks and bowling alleys,” he said.
Connors was described as the glue to their friend group.
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“She was always happy, no matter what the situations. If she was going through something personal, she was always happy and she would always tell you ‘I love you. I care,’” Byrd said.
Now, Byrd hopes people continue to share their stories remembering Connors this Saturday when they have a balloon launch in her honor at John Wolfe Park. While he knows it is a tough time, Byrd wants her to be remembered for how she lived.
“I always want them to remember that no matter what, she would make you laugh, she would make you smile,” Byrd told News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis. “You would just feel happy.”