bless these beauties

Tears in Texas for 'Beautiful Kids' E
The grandparents of four children executed by a gunman inside their
suburban Houston home Wednesday are thanking the community for
their prayers and well wishes — and said their 15-year-old
granddaughter who was shot in the head but survived by playing dead is
expected to make a full recovery.
“We are grateful for this miracle,” Roger Lyon said of the teen’s survival in a
statement Thursday. “We are in awe of her bravery and courage in calling 911,
an act that is likely to have saved all of our lives. She is our hero."
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Ron Lee Haskell is charged with murdering the four children, aged 4 to 13, and
their parents Stephen Stay, 39 and Katie Stay, 33, in Spring, Texas. Lyon is
Katie’s father. Police said Haskell was headed to the grandparents' house next.
Police said Haskell drove to the Stay home looking for his ex-wife, Melannie
Haskell, then tied up 15-year-old Cassidy when she answered the door and the
rest of the victims when they later arrived. He then shot each in the back of the
head.
Cassidy survived the shot and played dead until the gunman left; she then
called 911 and was able to tell authorities where Haskell was headed,
authorities said. Haskell later surrendered to police after a 20-minute chase and
3 ½ hour standoff, in which he held a gun to his head, police said.
"Stephen and Katie Stay and their beautiful children were an amazing and
resilient family. They lived to help others, both at church and in their
neighborhood. We love them beyond words,” the grandparents said in the
statement. "We are shocked and devastated by this tragedy that has taken
these precious souls away from us.”
Stunned members of the tight-knit Texas town were in disbelief Thursday,
remembering the child victims as “beautiful kids” who “gave an abundance of
hugs to everyone.”
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The slain children were identified as Zach, 4, Bryan, 13, Rebecca, 7, and Emily,
9. Cassidy is in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
“They were just loved by everyone,” said Lemm Elementary School Principal
Kathy Brown of two of the four children who were slain and who were students
there. “They just had an abundance of love for everyone. They were pleasers —
wanting to do well for others.”
From left to right: Cassidy Stay, 15, survived being shot in the head and called
police after a gunman executed her sister Rebecca, 7; mother Katie, 33; sister
Emily, 9; dad Stephen, 39; and brothers Zach, 4, and Bryan, 13.
Throughout the day people dropped by the school and tied brightly-colored
ribbons to trees outside the school.
An online fundraiser set up to pay for the family’s funeral and medical
expenses had already raised more than $30,000 as of Thursday afternoon. A
memorial for the family is planned Saturday morning at Lemm Elementary.
Jody Dellinger, district manager for the Harris County WCID 110 water and
sewer district, started the online fundraiser and was overwhelmed with the
responses of people who want to help. He was in a water board meeting along
with the constable who was the first officer on the scene, Sgt. George Beck, two
streets away from the scene when the shooting occurred.
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“The cop who was the first on the scene came in and said, ‘Man, we gotta do
something,’” Dellinger said. “It’s a very, very close community, a close-knit
community. We’re their neighborhood, everyone knows them … It’s been
unbelievable, the outpouring.”
Katie was a stay-at-home mom of five kids and frequently took her family to
the Forest Oaks Swim & Racquet Club and other recreational facilities managed
by the water district. A photo of the family, smiling and dressed in blue sitting
on a bench swing surrounded by trees, was taken at the park.
“Cassidy's just a very sweet little girl,” Dellinger said. “She’s going to need a
lot of prayer and a lot of attention after this. She’s an absolute hero.”