On Monday, 14 Dec., a gunman barricaded himself into a Souderton home in Pennsylvania. The suspect, a former Marine named Bradley William Stone, allegedly killed his ex-wife and six members of her family in three different locations. He was later found dead from self-inflicted knife wounds about half a mile from his home in Pennsburg.

Police received word of the first killing early Monday morning in Lansdale, a small community 28 miles north of Philadelphia, where Stone had slain his mother and grandmother-in-law. Later, police visited the apartment of Nicole Stone, Bradley Stone’s ex-wife, and found her dead. One witness identified Bradley Stone after the shooting, ushering Nicole’s children out of the apartment in their pajamas. Nicole Stone’s sister, mother, and grandmother were found dead shortly after.

Stone served as a reservist in the U.S. Marines until 2011. He was described by his friends as a “caring guy,” and nobody expected him to rampage. According to John Gilmer, an acquaintance in the Marines, Stone was “always on the honor guard and stuff like that for parades.”

During his rampage, local schools closed down with orders to “shelter in place” with only limited visitors in or out. The citizens were distraught. “This is a tragedy, this is a nice quiet town,” resident Audrey Gallina told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Following the announcement of Stone’s death, schools reopened at the regular time on Wednesday.