An eight-months-pregnant Pennsylvania mother and her two young children were among eight people killed Friday in a mass shooting at an Erie residence, according to local reports.
Angelina Stone was reportedly only days from delivering her baby when she and her children died, along with several other members of the family.
CBS Pittsburgh reported that Stone was four days from her due date. A family friend told Erie News Now that she was expected to give birth “in a couple of days.”
A GoFundMe campaign created to assist with funeral costs identified Stone’s children as Isiah and Amari’anna and her unborn child as Kyrie.
Angelina Stone, who was eight months pregnant, died alongside her children and other relatives in the Erie shooting, according to local reports. (GoFundMe)
“This situation is horrific and unimaginable,” neighbor Jennifer Macko told CBS Pittsburgh.
Lisa Simmers, a friend of the family, described Stone’s children as “beautiful, beautiful children” and said they “definitely did not deserve what happened to them.”
Simmers told Erie News Now that Stone’s daughter was nearly 2 years old, while her son Isiah was believed to be about 4 or 5.
Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said Saturday that eight people were killed in the Friday evening attack. The suspected shooter, a 45-year-old man, later died from what investigators believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Erie, Pennsylvania, residence where eight people were killed in a Friday mass shooting. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Police said the suspected gunman was related to seven of the victims and was the family patriarch and a grandfather, according to authorities and a relative who spoke with The Associated Press. The eighth victim was a family friend, Lorah said.
Lorah said mental health issues could have been a factor, but emphasized that investigators had not yet established a motive.
Investigators believe all eight victims and the suspected shooter were dead by the time officers reached the home.
The GoFundMe campaign is seeking donations to help Stone’s family pay funeral and burial expenses for her and her children.
“I’m raising funds for Angelina, Isiah, baby girl Amari’anna, and unborn Kyrie after an unthinkable tragedy,” the fundraiser says.
The GoFundMe organizer said the family needed help paying funeral expenses for Stone and her children. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
The organizer wrote that the family could not manage the costs alone and appealed to the community for support. “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,” the fundraiser states.
The Erie Police Department’s investigation remains ongoing.
The Erie Police Department did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for comment.