CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KOAA) — The aftermath of Wednesday's shooting at Fort Stewart is being felt thousands of miles away in Cañon City, where a local mother received alarming texts about her son stationed at the base.
Amanda Rinke woke up to messages from family members checking if her son Josh, who serves as a military police officer at Fort Stewart, was safe following the shooting incident.
"My mom was the first one, she's like call me, and I'm like, 'I'm sleeping I'll call you later.' Then I notice a message from my son," said Rinke.
Initially, she wasn't sure if it was serious, as her son has a playful side.
"Lot of times he likes to play pranks on his mom," she said.
But the situation quickly became clear.
"I had several missed texts from brother, from my mom, from everybody and I was like somethings really going on," said Rinke.
Friends and family were asking urgent questions: "Is Josh okay? How can that happen on U.S. soil?"
Rinke and her son share a close bond.
"He's always been my little mini me, and then he grew up," she said.
Josh joined the Army two years ago with a sendoff that embodied Cañon City's community spirit. Rinke shared photos of the event, noting, "The whole family came, and they're like 'wow, you got a lot of people here.' It was the last time he was really able to do something with his grandma."
What makes this shooting particularly concerning for Rinke is her son's role as a military police officer, meaning he would likely be among the first responders to such an incident.
Despite the dangers, she remains proud of his service.
"I couldn't be more proud of the job he chose to do," said Rinke. "He's serving our country, he's serving you, he's serving me, he's putting his life on the line for that and I couldn't ask for him to have a better job."
When asked what she would say to her son right now, her message was simple.
"Just stay safe," said Rinke. "We could die at any moment in our lives. His job isn't more stressful than your(s) job or my job. It's just different."
Rinke encourages people to thank soldiers for their sacrifices and keep the five victims of the shooting in their thoughts.
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