Tomball community rallies around family after quintuple murder
Police say Mark Collins and his 4 grandsons have been killed by an escaped convict on the family’s property in Centerville.
TOMBALL, Texas — It continues to be a troublesome time for a lot of in Tomball as folks mourn the lack of 4 boys and their grandfather.
Police say all of them have been killed by an escaped convict at their weekend property in Centerville, Texas.
Editor’s notice: The above video is from our associated protection of this story.
Gonzalo Lopez, the escaped inmate, was later killed in a shootout with legislation enforcement south of San Antonio some three weeks after his escape.
RELATED: Escaped convicted killer Gonzalo Lopez lifeless after shootout with officers south of San Antonio, TDCJ says
“The subsequent few days are going to be powerful on all of us,” mentioned a family pal.
The metropolis is embracing the Collins family of their biggest time of want.
From a bit of restaurant known as The Nook which donated Saturday’s proceeds to the family to a GoFundMe page which rapidly raised in extra of $200,000 to assist with, amongst different issues, funeral bills.
“It’s tragic, it’s heartbreaking,” mentioned store proprietor Madison Heald. “And my coronary heart goes out to the family and the buddies which are having to undergo all of this.”
Her store, Vickie B’s Boutique On Main, helped unfold the phrase in regards to the fundraiser.
Employee Madeline McFarland knew 18-year-old Waylon Collins who died alongside his two brothers, a cousin and their grandfather.
“It was unbelievable when I read it,” mentioned McFarland. “I couldn’t consider what I used to be listening to and studying.”
RELATED: ‘We are devastated’: Five family members, together with 4 Tomball ISD college students, murdered close to Centerville
She’s nonetheless a pupil at Tomball High School from the place Waylon simply graduated.
He was additionally an umpire for Tomball Little League, which held a second of silence in his honor that includes a framed umpire shirt and the kind of baseball cap Waylon typically wore.
“He was the type of guy that was friends with everybody,” mentioned McFarland. “Everybody knew him.”
No one can actually comprehend what Waylon’s mother and father are going via having lost all of their kids, a mum or dad and a nephew.
But the community that retains a small-town really feel regardless of fast development will stay intensely supportive.
“You know, simply hold praying for the family,” mentioned Heald.
Authorities nonetheless haven’t launched particulars on how the murders in Centerville unfolded.
But pals say Mark Collins would have by no means taken his grandson up there if he’d identified there was nonetheless such an imminent menace.
