Sheboygan County teen welcomed home after caught in Colorado shooting crossfire
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Annie Scholz reports Video by tmj4.com
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VILLAGE OF CASCADE- A welcome homecoming for a Sheboygan County girl caught in the Colorado movie theater crossfire.
Katie Trakel flew in just before midnight Monday.
TODAY'S TMJ4's Annie Scholz spoke with her and several family members who say the group is pretty tired after everything that's happened, so we wanted to respect their privacy.
But it's clear, their whole Village of Cascade is behind them.
"I was sick to my stomach all afternoon until I actually got a hold of them," said Katie Trakel's cousin Melissa Veldman.
Even now, Veldman has a hard time thinking about what happened last Friday as she tried to get answers about her cousin caught up in the mass shooting.
"It's terrible. I'm glad they're home. I'm glad they're safe back in Cascade, especially for something so unfortunate," said Veldman.
Trakel made it back late Monday night.
In Aurora for a convention, she was in the theater next to the one where James Holmes opened fire.
"They're a strong family. I don't put it past them that they'll get through it just fine," said Veldman.
The whole family has been fielding calls and questions from concerned friends and even strangers since the shooting.
Veldman told TODAY'S TMJ4, "People walk by, (ask) 'you're a Trakel aren't you?' It's hard, but it's a positive thing because they're OK."
And while the family has asked for Katie's Trakel privacy, there's no doubt she's not alone.
"She'll come through and I think her friends and family and everything will make her stronger," proclaimed Veldman.
Veldman said the family is pretty low key, so all this attention is a lot for them. She says they're just looking forward to moving on.
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