PITTSBURGH — The oldest victim in the Tree of Life shooting was 97-year-old Rose Mallinger. She was a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Mallinger was a "regular" at Tree of Life, among the many worshippers there every week. She was there the morning of Oct. 27 with her daughter Andrea Wedner.
"Sometimes I can't believe, I say to myself, I can't believe it happened. I know it did," said Wedner.
It was like any morning service, until they heard the gunfire.
Wedner said she knew what it was right away. As she told her mother to get down, Wedner was hit in the right arm. It's a severe injury from which she's still recovering. Her mother was not as fortunate.
"For those to be her last moments, that's what hurts the most," Wedner said.
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It's an unimaginable horror, to be gunned down while praying and to have your own mother shot and killed at your side. But as Channel 11's David Johnson interviewed Wedner, she said she's chosen not to dwell on the darkness of that event or the dark side of humanity.
"We all only have one life to live, and I'm going to make the most of mine. I have a lot to look forward to," she said. "I see people, who, this little thing bothers them, that little thing bothers them. It doesn't for me anymore. That's the small stuff. I want to tell people to be positive, to know that you can get through anything, especially if you have the support of people who love you, your spouse, the community. I almost lost my life, and I'm going to take advantage of that."