AJ is a junior at Bingham High School and a "pretty popular kid," evidenced by the outpouring of love and concern the teen and his family have received at the hospital, McDougal said. He is clearly a "really well-liked young man."

"Surreal" was the word McDougal used to describe the reaction of Vickie Walker and her children to the tragedy. "They can't imagine it happening here. Or to Jeff Walker."

McDougal said AJ Walker will need more surgery and his prognosis is not yet clear. "Right now, it's watch and see."

Meanwhile, neighbors and classmates in the family's South Jordan neighborhood were also trying Tuesday to make sense of the violence that killed the senior Walker and critically injured his son.

"You can't believe it," said Ethan Aylett, who lives across the street from the Walkers. "You think you're going to wake up and think things will be the way they were. You keep thinking you're going to look across the street and see (Jeffery Walker) pull in."

Several neighbors gathered outside the Walker home to talk and help the family take care of the house.

"It's just crazy that they happened to be there at that time," Aylett said about the father and son being at the mall during the shooting.

Aylett described Jeffery Walker as a good husband and father and a "family guy." Aylett's family moved into the upscale neighborhood with newer homes here last summer.

Aylett praised the armed Ogden police officer, who is credited with saving lives by helping to stop the gunman. More "trustworthy" people, he added, should have concealed weapons permits to be able to help out in situations like the mall shooting. Aylett said he and a friend have been talking about getting their own permits. "You never know — you know?" he said.

Aylett did not want to judge Talovic, saying its "too bad" the gunman is not still alive so people could learn more about the young man and his motives in order to prevent something like this from happening in the future.

Around the corner from Walker's home, Steve Young refrained from much comment until after a statement from the family.

"He's an amazing, kind man," Young said about Jeffery Walker. "It's just difficult to hear this."

Members of the Walkers' LDS ward fasted on their behalf Tuesday, and in the evening about 200 attended a service in the meetinghouse, a dozen of them speaking.

Bishop Roger Sorenson said the hospital's nurses were positive about the teen's response.

"He's a fighter, he's strong," Bishop Sorenson said, but "he's not out of the woods yet."