TABERNACLE, N.J. (AP) - Mourners said their goodbyes Saturday to three children fatally shot by their mother before she killed herself at their southern New Jersey home.
A funeral Mass for 14-year-old Nicholas, 11-year-old Alexander and 8-year-old Nadia Harriman was held in Tabernacle, a town in the New Jersey Pinelands about 30 miles east of Philadelphia. Community members huddled under umbrellas and awnings as they silently entered and exited the church.
"This is closure for them, and they need it," Deacon Joe DeLuca said.
Seneca High School sophomore Brittany Goldy told South Jersey Times (http://bit.ly/1yqooJg) that the family exchanged handshakes and hugs with well-wishers inside the Church of the Holy Eucharist. Goldy said the reaction in school was one of shock when news of the shooting spread.
Police have said 44-year-old Jeannine LePage shot the three children inside the family's home Nov. 20 before turning the gun on herself. It's not known what provoked the shooting.
Nicholas and Nadia died at the scene. LePage and Alexander died later at a hospital.