A 6-year-old boy has died at Kosair Children’s Hospital after being shot by his father in Paoli Tuesday night.
Both 3-year-old Addison Gehl and her 6-year-old brother Leon Gehl were shot by their father, Jeremy Gehl, who also stabbed their mother and then committed suicide.
Leon Gehl was a kindergartner at Throop Elementary in Paoli.
Their mother 33-year-old Melissa Randolph is recovering from stab wounds. She is listed in stable condition. The couple’s baby, one-year-old Bently, was unharmed.
A vigil is planned for 7 p.m. Thursday at Central Baptist Church in Paoli in honor of the mother and her children.
The incident happened in the 500 block of North Helm Street in Paoli, where Randolph and her children were staying.
A community in shock has left balloons, flowers and stuffed animals outside the home as they mourned Addison’s death and prayed for Leon and their mother.
What happened inside the home, people still can’t be understood by many.In fact, police are still trying to put the pieces together.
Tuesday night Indiana State Police said what started as a fight over a family issue turned violent when Jeremy Gehl started to attack his wife with a knife.
Something must have been brewing with the couple, according to one family member who reported to WSLM that Gehl’s sister posted on Facebook Tuesday afternoon about 1p “Please pray, don’t ask, JUST PRAY”. The incident occurred about four hours later.
Police said the children ran to their mother and that is when Gehl shot them and then turned the gun on himself.
Gehl died on the way to the hospital.
Addison and Leon were taken to Kosair Children’s Hospital where Addison later died.
The children’s mother, who was first taken to a Louisville Hospital was transferred to Kosair to be with her children.
Randolph filed a protective order in Orange Superior Court against Gehl, was served with the protective order on Feb. 25, 2013, with it expiring February 21.
The protective order prohibited Gehl from having direct or indirect contact with Randolph except as it related to the parties’ minor children.
In addition, the order outlined provisions of Gehl’s time with the children, consistent with what is known as Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines.
Gehl was ordered to stay away from Randolph’s residence and place of employment.
In issuing the order, the court found it was “necessary to bring about a cessation of the violence or the threat of violence” and that “domestic or family violence has occurred sufficient to justify the issuance of this order.”
However, Indiana State Police say the two were living together at the North Helm Street address.
