Abbie Kopf seeks return to normalcy
On Monday, Abigail Kopf and her family kept to themselves. After months of navigating through continuous media attention throughout her recovery, that's just how they wanted to spend the one-year anniversary of the shooting.
"They had their memorial event but we didn't want to be there," Abigail's father, Gene Kopf, said Wednesday. "(It's) too busy. Abbie had just had surgery.
"And quite frankly, we just want to be left alone."
The family of the 15-year-old, who was the youngest survivor of the Feb. 20, 2016, shootings in Kalamazoo County, has been relatively open about her recovery. In addition to news media interviews, Gene Kopf and his wife, Vicki, run a Facebook page that shares some details of Abigail's life, from photos of her on a trip to the zoo to setbacks she's had after surgery.
Many of the comments are encouraging Abigail, sending well wishes and rooting her on. Thousands of dollars have been raised for their family.
Gene Kopf said they're thankful for the community's generous support.
Others, however, press for more details. Some journalists have been invasive. They've shown up at their home uninvited; Vicki Kopf has been followed while driving.
Gene Kopf said it may be time to give Abigail, a teen who didn't ask for this attention, a chance at as normal of a life as possible.
"She doesn't need that limelight," he said. "She needs privacy."
Abigail was the lone survivor of a shooting in a Cracker Barrel parking lot that killed four people, including close family friend Barbara Hawthorne. Two others were killed and one other person was injured in separate shootings that night. Jason Dalton, 46, a resident of Kalamazoo County's Cooper Township and part-time Uber driver, is facing six counts of open murder and two counts of assault with intent to murder and weapons violations.
Abigail had surgery earlier this month, in which doctors inserted a plate to repair the missing portion of her skull. Doctors said the surgery went well, and the family is hopeful it will be her last major procedure.
But what happened to her is uncharted territory, Gene Kopf said. Claiming a full recovery would be difficult.
"People ask, 'What are the expectations?' I can't answer that question, because you can't define the goal to answer the question."
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She still does some physical therapy, and someone comes to the house several days a week for Abigail's schoolwork; before her surgery, attending school was too dangerous. They're working on house-training her new pig, Snuffles.
Abigail is largely confined at home.
"I think that's sucked her spirits up a little bit," Gene Kopf said. "So hopefully now that she has a skull plate in place, she'll be able to do a little bit more."
Some parts of life have resumed for the Kopfs. Gene is back in school, in his last semester before earning a bachelor's degree in physics. He's thinking about teaching after graduation. Maybe when things settle down more, he said, his wife, a former photographer, can take more photos.
But Gene Kopf also is honest about the prospect of Abigail taking up again activities she once loved, such as climbing trees and gymnastics. She won't, he said, though she may be able to take up swimming again.
They don't pay attention to Dalton's legal proceedings, and have no plans to attend. "As long as he's locked up, it doesn't matter," Gene Kopf said.
He said he's doubtful progress will be made on gun control, pointing to rhetoric from both sides.
"I think a country that put a man on the moon could figure out how to deal with firearms, but I don't know. Nowadays, maybe that's just not possible."
And as for what's next for the Kopfs?
"Don't know," Gene said. "That's an honest answer. We don't know."
Contact government reporter Jennifer Bowman at 269-966-0589 or jbowman@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter: @jenn_bowman. Listen to the podcast she co-hosts, The Jump Page, at soundcloud.com/enquirerpodcasting.