LAKELAND, Fla. — Loved ones gathered for a vigil to remember Chris Pine, who was shot on Christmas Eve.
Lakeland police said Pine and his friend Racheal Ramsey were killed after Ramsey's ex shot them and then turned the gun on himself. Four kids were in the home at the time and two of them were Chris's.
"My granddaughter called me on Facetime and was like Chris got shot and killed last night and I thought 'no.' The next thing I said was we'll take them in a minute. We'll take those kids in a minute if they need anything," Chris's grandmother Patti Stewart said.
Stewart and her husband haven't been able to process what happened, but say the community's support made his kids feel loved on Christmas.
"People were coming and bringing things and then Santa clause came and they had such smiles on their face for such a horrible horrible thing they had gone through," Stewart said.
Pine was a single father. His four and 6-year-old kids were his world. Family and friends will remember him as a devoted friend and loving father.
"He was my support system, he was confident, and he is watching over us all. Let's not think of this tragedy but instead, remember his love for his life. Remember his love for his kids and how he went out of his way to make sure you smiled and were laughing. Remember the Chris Pine that you all love," said Pine's best friend Krystal Jones.
RELATED: Christmas Eve killer had been in relationship with woman from murder-suicide, Lakeland police say
What other people are reading right now:
- Deputies: New Jersey man came to Florida, wore bulletproof vest, claimed to be 'sheriff'
- Asteroid to pass by Earth at 18,400 miles per hour
- Justin Long's movie begins filming in Tampa
- Multiple people report gunfire damage to cars on I-4, I-95
- 'I’m not giving up': Father pushes to change Florida's 'stand your ground' law
- Could 2020 be the year Florida legalizes recreational marijuana?
