The sole survivor of a mass killing in Iowa has publicly forgiven his father, who police say carried out the attack before taking his own life. Johnathan McFarland spoke at a vigil on Tuesday night, expressing his love for his father despite the tragedy.
Muscatine Police Chief Tony Kies identified the victims as Lisa McFarland, 51; Dakota Whitlow, 32; Austin Harris, 29; Ryle McFarland, 20; Mark McFarland, 16; and Ryan McFarland Jr., 13. The killings occurred on Monday in Muscatine, a city of about 24,000 people.
Police found four victims at a home, and later located the father, Ryan McFarland Sr., on a trail, where he killed himself while officers were talking to him. Two other men, believed to be relatives, were found fatally shot elsewhere in the city.
Whitlow's fiancée, Audrey Perdue, also spoke at the vigil, mourning the loss of her partner and the life they had planned. The Iowa killings are the sixth family mass killing in the US this year, according to criminologist James Alan Fox.
