• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • NYC traffic enforcement agents demand body-worn cameras for...
        Law enforcement agencies across the country sound the alarm on...
        Good Samaritans come to California Highway Patrol officer’s aid...
        Biden awards Medal of Valor to nine first responders, including slain...
        Florida off-duty deputy rescues baby dolphin
    • Labor
      • Golden, Colorado, police to implement four-day workweek with 40 hours...
        Worcester police officers to receive annual stipend for new body worn...
        Southern California police agencies continue to face staffing...
        Phoenix City Council approves new police union contract with pay...
        Los Angeles County sheriff requests funding for recruitment, equipment
    • Tech
      • California sheriff’s department pays $1.1 million to cyber...
        Bay Area businesses embrace AI surveillance protection amid crime...
        California family tracks down and recovers stolen e-bike using Apple...
        Indianapolis law enforcement team up with legislators to fight...
        Peeling the onion
    • Training
      • Understanding privacy coins
        Unlock your potential
        Crisis intervention team training
        What’s the best way to train law enforcement leaders?
        Ohio police officer and father of autistic son launches autism...
    • Policy
      • Tampa Bay police departments clarify approach to Florida immigration...
        DHS implements new body-worn camera policy to enhance transparency...
        Michigan lawmakers propose state fund for public safety and violent...
        House passes bill to deport immigrants who assault law enforcement...
        Tennessee governor signs bill to fund school security months after...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Las Vegas Metro Police Department prioritizes mental health support...
        New Jersey's mental health initiative shows promise in reducing use...
        Massachusetts police agencies receive grant to support mental health...
        Peacekeeper Initiative offers support and healing for retired police...
        Serenity in the saddle
    • Community
      • Religious group unites with law enforcement to boost security at...
        Washington nonprofit connects law enforcement and community through...
        A catastrophic threat
        A symbol of hope
        A legacy never forgotten
    • Offbeat
      • Off-duty deputy nabs wanted fugitive in North Carolina grocery store
        Homeless man crashes stolen police car after failed robbery attempt
        Epic fail of a classic excuse: Colorado driver blames his dog for...
        Cowboy rescues runaway cow on busy Michigan highway
        “You gotta be quicker than that”: Wanted suspect taunts Ohio...
    • We Remember
      • Grand Forks unveils Northern Valley Law Enforcement Memorial to honor...
        Honoring Fallen Heroes
        “Our hearts are broken once again”: Off-duty Chicago police...
        Choosing to serve
        A legacy of “service and sacrifice”: NYPD detective dies after...
  • On the Job
    • NYC traffic enforcement agents demand body-worn cameras for...
      Law enforcement agencies across the country sound the alarm on...
      Good Samaritans come to California Highway Patrol officer’s aid...
      Biden awards Medal of Valor to nine first responders, including slain...
      Florida off-duty deputy rescues baby dolphin
  • Labor
    • Golden, Colorado, police to implement four-day workweek with 40 hours...
      Worcester police officers to receive annual stipend for new body worn...
      Southern California police agencies continue to face staffing...
      Phoenix City Council approves new police union contract with pay...
      Los Angeles County sheriff requests funding for recruitment, equipment
  • Tech
    • California sheriff’s department pays $1.1 million to cyber...
      Bay Area businesses embrace AI surveillance protection amid crime...
      California family tracks down and recovers stolen e-bike using Apple...
      Indianapolis law enforcement team up with legislators to fight...
      Peeling the onion
  • Training
    • Understanding privacy coins
      Unlock your potential
      Crisis intervention team training
      What’s the best way to train law enforcement leaders?
      Ohio police officer and father of autistic son launches autism...
  • Policy
    • Tampa Bay police departments clarify approach to Florida immigration...
      DHS implements new body-worn camera policy to enhance transparency...
      Michigan lawmakers propose state fund for public safety and violent...
      House passes bill to deport immigrants who assault law enforcement...
      Tennessee governor signs bill to fund school security months after...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Las Vegas Metro Police Department prioritizes mental health support...
      New Jersey's mental health initiative shows promise in reducing use...
      Massachusetts police agencies receive grant to support mental health...
      Peacekeeper Initiative offers support and healing for retired police...
      Serenity in the saddle
  • Community
    • Religious group unites with law enforcement to boost security at...
      Washington nonprofit connects law enforcement and community through...
      A catastrophic threat
      A symbol of hope
      A legacy never forgotten
  • Offbeat
    • Off-duty deputy nabs wanted fugitive in North Carolina grocery store
      Homeless man crashes stolen police car after failed robbery attempt
      Epic fail of a classic excuse: Colorado driver blames his dog for...
      Cowboy rescues runaway cow on busy Michigan highway
      “You gotta be quicker than that”: Wanted suspect taunts Ohio...
  • We Remember
    • Grand Forks unveils Northern Valley Law Enforcement Memorial to honor...
      Honoring Fallen Heroes
      “Our hearts are broken once again”: Off-duty Chicago police...
      Choosing to serve
      A legacy of “service and sacrifice”: NYPD detective dies after...
  • Between the Lines
    • The unspoken truth behind the recruitment and retention crisis
      The police reform goal: use of force without options
      The imprisonment of law enforcement technology
      Persecution of the LEO is classic schadenfreude
      The rule of law is worthless without order
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Community

Aurora theater shooting survivor who lost her fiancé in tragedy marries officer who responded to the scene

APB Team Published July 31, 2022 @ 12:00 pm PDT

iStock.com/shapecharge

For one survivor, the tragedy of the Aurora shooting that left 12 dead and 70 injured that night turned into something unexpectedly beautiful.

A woman who lost her fiancé that night ended up falling in love with and marrying one of the officers who responded to the scene after the two shared an unbreakable bond.

Lasamoa Lanier, then known as Lasamoa Cross, was attending the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises with her fiancé at the time — 18-year-old AJ Boik.

The couple sat near the front of the theater when the shooting began. Lasamoa remembers the gunman entering through the emergency exit shortly after the opening scene.

“I could see this black silhouette of a guy standing there, and I could see a gun strapped,” she said.

Suddenly a canister flies several rows behind her and AJ. She hears a hissing noise, and people start screaming.

“I turned around and looked, and there were people just jumping out of the rows to get out of the theatre. It was insane,” Lasamoa described.

AJ grabbed her hand and told her they needed to leave, but he was shot twice right then and fell backward.

“I think that is what is hard, too. I didn’t even get to say bye, you know,” Lasamoa recalled.

Three years later, during the trial, Lasamoa saw how police officers testifying felt the same pain and trauma she did.

She then decided to write letters to several Aurora police officers and thank them. It was through her writing that she met Officer Cody Lanier, who happened to be an SRO at her former high school.

Lasamoa said she saw him the night of the shooting helping families find loved ones and asked him to help her find her boyfriend.

“I had this person in front of me, approaching me, ‘where is my boyfriend?’” Cody recalled. Cody said he felt like he failed the families that day, but Lasamoa’s letter changed that.

“I have always thought of you as a headstrong, determined and courageous person for having the amount of strive to serve and protect Gateway, Aurora and your family. Every single day. And that alone has changed my life altogether,” Lasamoa wrote in her letter.

“I don’t think I made it through three sentences in that thing, and I’m tearing up,” Cody said.

Years later, the two met at a Chipotle to talk, and from there, quickly formed a bond and began dating.

The couple eventually married nine years later in Colorado in October 2021.

“Some tragic beginnings have very beautiful outcomes,” Lasamoa wrote on her wedding page. The website’s “our story” page is titled “The most unconventional love story ever told.”

The story went on to say that no matter how many people tried to connect with her and after countless dates, she still felt alone.

It wasn’t until meeting someone who understood her pain that she could move on and find love.

Although it took her three separate attempts to finally meet Cody in person, the meeting changed both of their lives forever.

“He knew what a huge loss that early in life felt like, and from there, I felt he understood me differently than anyone else,” she wrote.

Cody said their meeting also helped him heal from the tragedy.

“In a way, La kind of filled this gap,” Cody said. “Beyond that, it was just this connection. Every day since, she turned into my best friend. Beauty from ashes, man. I don’t know what I would do without her.”

Categories: Community Tags: marriage, Colorado, trauma, mass shooting, Aurora shooting, love story, survivor, Lasamoa Ranier, Cody Ranier, school resource of-ficer

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Golden, Colorado, police to implement four-day workweek with 40 hours of pay for 32 hours of work
  • Worcester police officers to receive annual stipend for new body worn camera policy
  • Tampa Bay police departments clarify approach to Florida immigration law
  • Las Vegas Metro Police Department prioritizes mental health support for officers
  • Off-duty deputy nabs wanted fugitive in North Carolina grocery store
  • NYC traffic enforcement agents demand body-worn cameras for protection against daily abuse
  • New Jersey’s mental health initiative shows promise in reducing use of force and racial disparities
  • Law enforcement agencies across the country sound the alarm on flesh-eating “zombie drug” hitting the streets
  • Homeless man crashes stolen police car after failed robbery attempt
  • Good Samaritans come to California Highway Patrol officer’s aid during brutal attack on side of freeway

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Your Privacy Options | Notice at Collection | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.