Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6

Thirteen-year-old Kaylan was Veronica's babysitter, and she was seated with the girl and Veronica's mother when the shooting began. "He just kept firing and then he would stop like he was reloading and he kept firing at anyone he saw," Kaylan told CNN's Poppy Harlow.

Kaylan watched as three people with her were shot -- Veronica, the girl's mother, Ashley Moser, and their pastor, Michael Walker.

"I felt like it was partly my job to protect her and even if I wasn't her babysitter I would still feel that same because she was just a child," she said.

Lying on the theater floor, she called 911, then put her hand on Veronica's ribcage to see if she was breathing. "But she wasn't breathing so I started freaking out and then they told me to do CPR and I told them I couldn't because her mother was on top of her and couldn't move."

Described as a "vibrant little girl," Veronica -- an only child -- had just learned to swim and was "excited about life," her great-aunt said.

The girl's 25-year-old mother was critically injured, with wounds to the neck and abdomen, said Moser's niece, Annie Dalton. "Her whole life has changed in a flash, for what?"

Moser had just been accepted into a licensed practical nurse program, Dalton told reporters. "Obviously, with this injury she is not going to be able to start school like she planned."

Alex M. Sullivan, 27

Alex "Sully" Sullivan went to the movie to celebrate his birthday, two days before the first anniversary of his marriage to Cassie.

"Oh man one hour till the movie and its going to be the best BIRTHDAY ever," he tweeted.

"The Sullivan family lost a cherished member of their family," a representative said in a statement. "Alex was smart, funny, and above all loved dearly by his friends and family."

His uncle, Jim Loewenguth, said Sullivan was "full of joy" and "never had a bad chip on his shoulder."

Alexander C. Teves, 24

Alexander Teves recently graduated from the University of Denver with a master's degree in counseling psychology.

"The university extends its deepest condolences to his family and friends, including the many current students and faculty who knew and worked with Alex," the school said in a statement.

Teves died protecting his girlfriend, Amanda Lindgren. "I wouldn't be here without him," Lindgren told CNN Monday.

His aunt, Barbara Slivinske, said Alex was living in Colorado and had just completed graduate school there in June. His parents were in Colorado, retrieving his body, according to Slivinske, who added, "He was a wonderful nephew."

Rebecca Ann Wingo, 32

Rebecca Wingo was originally from Quinlan, Texas, and lived in Aurora, Colorado. Her father, Steve Hernandez, announced his daughter's death on Facebook, saying, "I lost my daughter yesterday to a mad man, my grief right now is inconsolable."

"I hear she died instantly, without pain, however the pain is unbearable. Lord why, why, why????" Hernandez wrote. "I sit here and resist this entry however I feel I must, in disgust, in dismay, in prayer, I love you my daughter Rebecca, we all will miss you."

Wingo joined the Air Force after high school, became fluent in Mandarin and served as a translator, according to CNN Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate WFAA.

She had "the sweetest smile you've ever seen," said friend Hal Wallace. "She got prettier as she grew older."

Wingo moved to Colorado with her two young girls, and wrote about how the younger one was excited about starting kindergarten.

Said Wallace: "In the blink of an eye something happens and completely changes everyone's life -- forever."