Mother dies before the funeral of her son

A terminally ill woman has died days after her husband fatally shot their adult son and her two sisters in front of her at a southeastern Ohio home and then killed himself.

Authorities said the shootings last Monday in rural Logan apparently stemmed from family tensions over the care of the cancer-stricken woman, 59-year-old Darlene Gilkey. She was not hurt in the shootings and was taken to a medical facility afterward.

Her daughter-in-law, Heather Sowers, said Gilkey died Saturday, hours before the funeral for her 38-year-old son, Leroy Gilkey of Columbus.

Another son, Ralph Sowers III, told 911 dispatchers that he witnessed the shootings by his stepfather, Paul “David” Gilkey, who was found dead on a porch. Sowers said his stepfather let him leave the scene because he has children.

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