Mother of three identified as victim killed in Memphis Kroger shooting
The mother of two active servicemembers as well as a third son who just earned his doctorate was identified as the person who was fatally struck when a gunman opened fire inside a Tennessee grocery store.
Olivia King, a regular parishioner at the Catholic Church of the Incarnation, had attended mass on Thursday before she arrived at the Kroger in the Memphis suburb of Collierville. She was among dozens of shoppers sent scrambling for cover when gunfire erupted inside the store just around 1:30 p.m.
Thirteen people were hit, including King, who was rushed to Regional One Hospital with a fatal wound. The shooter, who has not been identified, also died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
King leaves behind three sons: one in the Navy, one in the Air Force and another who recently completed a doctorate program.
In a Facebook post Thursday, one of her sons, Wes King, shared the heartbreak that came with learning of his mother’s death.
“I spoke directly to the trauma surgeon. She was shot directly in the chest. EMTs attempted CPR until the hospital,” he wrote. “They tried to save her at the hospital to no avail. I apologize for the graphic details, but this type of crime needs to stop being glossed over and sanitized. No one deserves this.
Maureen Fraser, the vice mayor of Collierville and longtime King’s longtime friend, described the mother of three as ““kind, generous, caring, selfless.”
“Everyone needs to be more like Olivia,” she told the New York Times.
Originally from San Antonio, King was widowed in 2005 and had been living in with her oldest son in Collierville until his recent move to Ohio
“Our family is devastated by this senseless act of violence. We ask that you pray for the repose of the soul of our mother, Olivia King,” her family said in a statement to Fox 13. “We also ask everyone for their prayers for all families and friends affected by the events today, as well as for God’s mercy on the shooter and his family. Thank you.”
