Erin Petersen
Peterson, a Westfield High School classmate of the gunman, was 6-foot-1 and played center for the school's girls basketball team, helping lead it to a district championship. "She could do a layup on anyone," said Anna Richter, a high school teammate. She recalled how Peterson's parents attended nearly every game and were among the most enthusiastic fans.
Peterson, 18, and shooting victim Reema Samaha both graduated from Westfield last year, according to Barbara Burke, a spokeswoman for Fairfax County Public Schools.
"She was just a super child," William Lloyd, Erin's godfather, told the Washington City Paper. "Her and her dad, man, you couldn't separate them. He lost a child from cancer — a daughter, 8 years old. A week later, [Erin] was born."
Lloyd said that Erin and her father, Grafton Peterson, did part ways on one thing: pro-football allegiances. "She was a Redskin," he said. "He was a Cowboy."
—AP