UW Oshkosh student Sergio Valencia del Toro’s fiancee, Haylie Peterson, said Monday she feels heartbroken for the families of the Menasha shooting.
As she copes with her own grief, she does not want to discuss at this time the Valencia del Toro she knew, but expressed that she is devastated for the families.
“It’s not the right time,” Peterson, also a UWO student, said. “I feel for the families. I am so sorry for their pain and loss. I will comment when everyone has had time to process and heal.”
The shooting happened Sunday in Menasha. According to the news conference on Monday, Valencia del Toro went to Trestle Trail Bridge with two handguns, where he shot four people and then himself. One victim is listed in critical condition, according to Dr. Ray Georgen, director of trauma services for Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah.
In the wake of the shooting, Peterson said she has been followed by various reporters and photographers. She has moved out of her house and moved in with someone else for her safety. The Advance-Titan confirmed her name and status at UWO, and decided to release it only after other media reports had named her.
Menasha Police said Valencia del Toro had argued with his fiancee early Sunday evening before going out on his bike, but his fiancee said the media has been wrong.
“What’s going around isn’t true,” Peterson said. “We weren’t arguing and we weren’t broken up.”
She said he was not being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, but was battling, and being treated for, depression since he was younger.
Peterson said she won’t be returning to UWO for the final weeks of the semester partially because she and Valencia del Toro had the same classes.
“I still need time to wrap my head around it,” she said. “He was my future husband.”