Denver City Council Members In London During Terror Attack
DENVER (CBS4)- Some Denver city council members and other city officials were in London when a terrorist attack killed four people and left dozens more injured on Wednesday.
Council members Kevin Flynn and Debbie Ortega were touring Heathrow Airport to learn about its security in preparation for the upcoming changes to security at the Denver International Airport.
In the less than 24-hour period that city officials were there, the terrorist struck.
CBS4's Melissa Garcia caught up with them late Thursday afternoon as they were arriving at DIA.
Flynn, representing District 2, described the atmosphere in the nearby Trafalgar square just hours after the attack.
"Uncharacteristically almost void of traffic," Flynn explained. "It was an unusual sight to see at an evening like that."
The violent rampage happened just a couple of blocks from the hotel where Flynn and the others were scheduled to stay. Luckily, they had not checked in yet and were miles away at Heathrow when the attacker struck.
Flynn said that his daughter worried when she heard about the attack while at school.
"She panicked at first," said Flynn. But I was able to get a text to her and say, 'We're okay.'"
Dozens of people were injured when a driver plowed into pedestrians on the sidewalk.
"I just put my arms forward, and you know, the car just tumbled me over," said Francisco Lopes, who was hit. "I was scared for my life. I didn't want to die."
Kurt Cochran, a Utah resident visiting London for his 25th wedding anniversary, was also hit but did not survive.
"It's like a dream. Like, did it really happen?" said Kevin Stevenson, Cochran's neighbor.
Stevenson said that he was still in shock at the sudden and unexpected loss of his neighbor.
"It's a great loss," Stevenson said. "This neighborhood will miss him."
Flynn said that being in London during the attack had allowed him to see Heathrow Airport's response with enhanced security.
"It was handled very, very professionally," Flynn said. "I was very impressed."
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.