Friends in Washington state and the Kenyan community in the US and worldwide are rallying behind Emily Muchemi, whose younger sister Mary Njoki Muchemi Stanton, and two children were killed in a murder-suicide incident in Lousiville, Kentucky.
Family and friends meet regularly in Lakewood, Washington, for prayers and funeral arrangements.
Nick Kibathi, a family friend, thanked everyone for their overwhelming support.
“We really appreciate and do not take it for granted that you have heard our cry for help and have gone all the way not only to participate individually but also try and mobilize people of goodwill from all over this country. May God bless you and your families for your acts of kindness,” Kibathi said.
The community has provided the following information to support financially. There are four options to donate.
1) GoFundMe
https://gofund.me/a4cc305c
2) Cashapp/Zelle /Google Pay
Nick- +1 678 983-8390
3) CashApp or Zelle
Robert – +1 253 -353-0858
4) Zelle ONLY
Emily Muchemi +1 972-904-0090
“There was nothing that could prepare us for this. There was no warning signs, nothing whatsoever. They seemed happy,” Emily Muchemi, sister to Mary Njoki Stanton.
What happened?
Tragedy struck on December 2nd when Gary Stanton, Njoki’s husband, shot his family and turned the gun on himself.
Local ABC news report indicates Louisville officers responded around 8:45 a.m. on Saturday to a call of a shooting “with multiple victims” at the home on the 4500 block of East Pages Lane. A man, woman, and two juvenile females were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside the home, police said.
“Upon further investigation, it appears the adult male shot the adult female and the two juvenile females and then himself,” police said, according to ABC News.
Muchemi mourned her sister.
“We don’t know how to move on without her,” Muchemi said. “She was my best friend. I talked to her every day. And nothing could have prepared me for this.”
Their mother, Ejidiah Waithaka, said she was shocked.
“It’s very painful for a mother, but there’s nothing I can do,” Waithaka said.
Among the dead are the couple’s daughters, Adrianna, 17, a high school senior, and Brianna, 11 a middle schooler.
It’s unclear why Gary Stanton, 60, an African American, murdered his family.
Muchemi said their family was not aware of any marital issues between the couple.
“There was nothing that could prepare us for this. There was no warning signs, nothing whatsoever. They seemed happy,” Muchemi said.
But a 2007 news article posted on Louisville Wave shows this was not the first time Gary was involved in a gun incident.
The Wave reports Gary Stanton and his son were involved in an incident that led to the lockdown of a local hospital.
The report says Gary’s son, a UPS worker at the time, was asked to leave a UPS sorting office, but he refused, causing a scuffle between him and the police. After the scuffle, the officer and the younger Stanton were taken for treatment at University Hospital.
Hospital security reported that about an hour later, Gary Stanton showed up in his pick-up truck at the hospital, and the security officer saw what looked like an assault rifle sticking up between the car seats.
After an encounter with the hospital security, Gary sped off the scene. Louisville Metro Police tracked him down and recovered an AK-47 assault rifle and a couple of handguns in his truck, according to the Wave report.
News of the tragedy came less than a month after Muchemi buried her father, who died in Washington on November 12th.
“I didn’t tell her goodbye. I didn’t tell her I loved her. I didn’t tell the girls I loved them too,” Muchemi said.
Organizers have started a WhatsApp group to support the family and to raise funds. The burial will take place in Louisville, but they have not announced the date.
Gun violence is common in the US and Kentucky has one of the nation’s most relaxed gun laws.