On Friday, a mass shooting occurred at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania. Among the victims were a pregnant woman who was about to give birth and her two young children.
Angelina Stone, 24, was shot to death four days before giving birth, along with her 5-year-old son and almost 2-year-old daughter, the Erie News reported.
Ten people died, with the suspect and the unborn child also part of the toll, officials said. As of Sunday afternoon, officials had not released the names of the victims or shooting suspects. However, friends and relatives have begun to reveal the identities of some of the victims to local media. Police said the suspected shooter was related to all but one of the victims.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lola said investigators are still working to determine a motive and will not speculate during the investigation.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he was “heartbroken for the family,” while city officials said the threat to the public was contained.
Who is Angelina Stone?
Juicesiyah Alexander Ezekiel told The Erie News that Stone, the mother of his child, and his daughter, Amarianna, were killed in the shooting.
“This is my baby, brother, he just took her,” Ezekiel told the outlet. “Her name is Amarianna. She is the most beautiful baby God has ever created.”
Ezekiel identified the shooter as Stone’s father.
Ezekiel’s sister, Lisa Simmers, added that they were “beautiful children who absolutely did not deserve what was happening to them.”
A fundraiser set up to help pay for funeral expenses identified Stone’s children as Isiah, Amarianna and her unborn child, Carey. As of Sunday, the campaign had raised more than $25,000 of its $40,000 goal.
“I am raising funds for Angelina, Isiah, baby girl Amarianna and unborn Kyrie in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. Angelina’s father killed Angelina and her children in a murder-suicide, and now our family faces the painful task of laying them to rest,” fundraiser organizer Aliyah Williams wrote in a post on GoFundMe.
“Any donation, no matter the amount, will help ease the financial burden and help us give Angelina, Isiah, Amarianna and Kyrie the farewell they deserve,” Williams continued, adding that the funds will be directed to Amarianna’s father for arrangements.
newsweek The organizers of the fundraiser were contacted but have yet to hear back.
How the shooting unfolded
Police were called to reports of shots fired on Perry Street around 5pm on Friday. Witnesses reported seeing a man firing a gun before entering the home, authorities said.
When police arrived, they found two women dead outside the residence. More victims were later found inside.
Police said the victim was killed before officers arrived. The suspected shooter was also found dead from what authorities said was an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“When we arrived on scene, we didn’t hear gunshots. We didn’t hear cries for help. We didn’t see any movement inside,” Lola said Saturday. “Those officers were met with an eerie silence.”
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