WESTMINSTER, Colo. — It's been six years since 13-year-old Vaughn Bigelow, Jr. was shot and killed during a road rage incident in Westminster.
On July 8 — what would have been Vaughn's 20th birthday — the Bigelow family debuted a documentary showcasing their work and progress since his death.
“We called him Bubba," Meghan Bigelow said about her son, Vaughn. “He was a very happy baby. He loved to eat, so we used to joke his rolls had rolls... He always smiled, gave amazing hugs. He was happy. He was a smart kid, athletic.”
Meghan recounted what happened on June 14, 2018, when she was driving her kids to the dentist.
“There was an emergency vehicle, and I tried to get over for the emergency vehicle, and my car alerted me that there was another car to my right that I couldn't see in my blind spot. So I got back in my lane, and I was like, 'Oh, sorry,'" she remembered. “And then I proceeded to get screamed at by the other driver, and then he followed me all the way to the dentist's office and into the parking lot. And kept yelling at me, and I tried to get the boys just to go inside.”
The man who followed the family, Jeremy Webster, pulled out a gun.
"I had walked away from the boys, hoping that he would follow me, and he started shooting. And he shot me, and then I don't know who he actually shot next," Meghan said. “Didn't find out until at least a week later that Asa was in the hospital, my youngest son, and Bubba was shot and killed.”
Meghan was shot once in the head and once in the torso. Her physical injuries were eclipsed by the loss of her oldest child.
“Someone in the beginning told me that grief is like a giant hot air balloon, and then over time, it loses air and gets smaller and smaller and smaller and smaller," said Meghan. “In the very beginning, it's like this huge thing that you carry around all the time, and it changes minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day. And then it's just so overwhelming in the beginning, and then the balloon slowly loses air.”
Some moments bring all of the emotions rushing back, like when one of her sons graduated high school or every year around Christmas time.
"I have to accept — which you can't do — accept that Vaughn's not here. Like, he's never going to walk in the door again. I'm not going to get a hug from him again. So that's really hard," Meghan said.
After Vaughn's death, the family started a nonprofit organization called Big Waves. Part of their mission is safety and education surrounding firearms. They offer free gun locks to anyone in the country and partner with two gun ranges to sponsor youth education classes.
Vaughn's birthday has also been dubbed National Lock Your Gun Day by the organization.
Another goal of Big Waves is to support children with a passion for water polo, as Vaughn had. They offer a scholarship in his name.
One of their board members approached the family and suggested the idea of a documentary. The Bigelows put their trust in Brian Hoven and started filming in March 2023. The documentary tells Vaughn's story, what happened in June 2018 and the beginning of Big Waves.
“It should come with a disclaimer. Like, you need a box of tissues," Meghan said with a small smile about the documentary.
In only a few days, the film has already been watched thousands of times. Vaughn's mother said the documentary is a glimpse at how far the family has come in the last six years.
“Yes, it's heartbreaking, but at the end, it's heartwarming also knowing that if we can make a difference, you can make a difference," Meghan said.
The full documentary can be watched online.
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