A pregnant mother of two from Pennsylvania was set to give birth this week, but tragically, she was among nine people—including the shooter—who lost their lives in what appears to be a murder-suicide, as devastated family members shared on Saturday.
Angelina Stone was killed along with her three children—5-year-old Isiah, 2-year-old Amari’anna, and her unborn child Kyrie—along with several relatives during a shooting that occurred just before 5 p.m. on Friday at a residence in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Family friend Lisa Simmers noted, “She was pregnant and about to have her baby any day now. She had a beautiful two-year-old daughter and her son Isiah; they all were just lovely.”
Stone had recently shared on social media that her due date was approaching on October 14.
While the identity of the gunman has not been disclosed by the police, family members alleged that Stone’s father was responsible for the shooting spree before turning the gun on himself.
Aaliyah Williams, the aunt of Stone’s daughter, expressed in a GoFundMe campaign, “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.”
The gunman initiated the shooting at around 4:53 p.m. at the home located on Perry Road in the East Side of the city.
Simmers remarked, “Her two little ones were on the spectrum. Innocent children who couldn’t have reported anything against him, yet he still killed them. It’s hard to comprehend how someone could do such a thing.”
She added, “It’s just mind-blowing to think about what was happening inside that house while we stood outside, feeling helpless.”
Juicesiyah Alexander Ezekiel, Amari’anna’s father, struggled to hold back his tears while grieving the loss of his daughter. “She was my baby, and he just took her,” he said. “Her name was Amari’anna. She was the most wonderful child imaginable.”
“I couldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” he continued. “It’s disgusting.”
Ezekiel shared that he had been battling depression after surviving a homicide in Erie in 2022 before relocating. “I’m just so broken,” he expressed. “I left to escape that scene, and now I return only to lose my daughter and the person I was fighting to stay alive for.”
Police were alerted about the shooting through the city’s ShotsSpotter system and discovered two women, aged 37 and 51, outside with gunshot wounds upon arrival.
The gunman barricaded himself inside, leading to a standoff with police as they awaited a search warrant for entry, as Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah elaborated during a press conference.
Eventually, police entered the home and found Isiah, Amari’anna, and a 10-month-old girl on the first floor. Stone was discovered deceased alongside a 44-year-old woman and two young men, ages 19 and 21, upstairs.
Lorah described the scene as “horrific,” stating it was the worst he had ever encountered. The gunman died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Out of the nine victims, eight were related, with the ninth being a family friend. Lorah indicated that mental health issues seemed to play a role in the tragedy, though he did not disclose a clear motive for the killings.
