A pregnant mother who was just days away from giving birth and her two young children were among the victims killed in a mass shooting at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday.
Angelina Stone, 24, was four days away from giving birth when she was fatally shot, along with her 5-year-old son and daughter, who was nearly 2, Erie News Now reported.
Ten people died in total, with the suspect and unborn child also a part of the death toll, officials said. Officials had not publicly released the names of the victims or suspected shooter as of Sunday afternoon. Friends and relatives, however, have begun identifying some of those killed to local media. Police said the suspected gunman was related to all but one victim.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said investigators were still working to determine a motive and would not speculate while the investigation was underway.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said his "heart breaks for this family," while city officials said the threat to the public was contained.
Who Was Angelina Stone?
Juicesiyah Alexander Ezekiel told Erie News Now that Stone, who was the mother of his child, along with his daughter, Amari’anna were killed in the shooting.
“It was my baby, bro, and he just took her,” Ezekiel told the outlet. “Her name was Amari’anna. She’s the most beautiful baby God could have created.”
Ezekiel identified the shooter as Stone's father.
Lisa Simmers, Ezekiel's sister, added that they were "all just beautiful children and definitely did not deserve what happened to them."
A fundraiser set up to help with funeral costs identifies Stone's children as Isiah, Amari'anna and her unborn baby, Kyrie. As of Sunday, the campaign had raised over $25,000 of its $40,000 goal.
"I'm raising funds for Angelina, Isiah, baby girl Amari’anna, and unborn Kyrie after an unthinkable tragedy. Angelina’s father killed Angelina and her children in a murder-suicide, and now our family is facing the painful task of laying them to rest," Aaliyah Williams, the organizer of the fundraiser, wrote in a post on GoFundMe.
"Any donation, no matter the amount, will help ease the financial burden and help us give Angelina, Isiah, Amari’anna, and Kyrie the farewell they deserve," Williams continued, who added that the funds will go straight to Amari'anna's father for the arrangements.
Newsweek reached out to the creator of the fundraiser but has not yet heard back.
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How the Shooting Unfolded
Police were alerted to gunfire on Perry Street shortly before 5 p.m. Friday. Authorities said witnesses reported seeing a man firing a gun before he went inside a home.
When officers arrived, they found two women dead outside the residence. Additional victims were later discovered inside.
Police said the victims had been killed before officers arrived. The suspected gunman was also found dead from what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"When we arrived on scene, we did not hear a gunshot. We did not hear a cry for help. We did not see movement inside," Lorah said Saturday. "Those officers were met with an eerie silence."
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.