On a winter evening that should have been filled with celebration, Teresa Ann Blair Ellis, a 29-year-old Caucasian woman, found her life tragically cut short. It was February 12, 2007, and she was out with her boyfriend, Brad Frantz, at the Trolley Square mall in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had plans for a special dinner to celebrate a work bonus Teresa had recently received and intended to do some shopping for Valentine's Day.
The festive atmosphere of the mall was shattered when a
gunman, 18-year-old Sulejman Talovic, began a shooting rampage. Teresa and Brad were among the first victims of the senseless attack. Both were shot and killed in the chaos that ensued. Talovic would go on to kill three other people and wound four more before he was shot and killed by police officers, bringing the terrifying event to an end. As the sole perpetrator was killed at the scene, there were no subsequent arrests or suspects sought in relation to the deaths.
Teresa was remembered as a smart, bright, and witty person with a good sense of humor. Described as very giving and compassionate, she was like a mother to her younger sisters. Originally from Jamestown, New York, she worked at a bank in West Valley City. At the time of her death, she had been separated from her husband, Nathan Ellis, for about a year. The tragedy of her sudden death, alongside her boyfriend and the other victims, left a deep wound in the community.
