DENVER—The family of a man killed in the Aurora theater shooting doesn’t want a United States Merchant Marine Academy professor dismissed for a joke he made about the Colorado movie theater shooting.
The mother of Gordon Cowden’s children, Melisa Cowden, said Monday that there has been enough pain caused by the tragedy and the family doesn’t want to see professor Gregory F. Sullivan or his family suffer over a “single distasteful remark.”
Her son attends the academy but she didn’t address whether he was in Sullivan’s class at the time.
An academy spokeswoman declined comment because of the investigation.
The New York Times reported Sullivan told students before showing a documentary: “If someone with orange hair appears in the corner of the room, run for the exit.” He’s now on paid administrative leave.
