9-Year-Old Survives Shooting that Killed His Parents and Little Sister
Tyler and Sarah Schmidt, both 42, and their six-year-old daughter, Lulu, have been identified as the family who were shot and killed at around 6 a.m. at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground on Friday. The couple’s nine-year-old son Arlo survived the attack, according to Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green.
ABC reports that investigators have not yet determined what relationship, if any, the victims shared with the shooter, whom authorities found dead in the park from what appears to have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Green posted his condolences on Facebook. “Like many of you just hearing the news, I’m devastated,” Green wrote Friday. “I knew Sarah well... Details will be forthcoming about services and other memorials, and I will ensure the community knows about this. Please offer some extra grace to the Schmidts’ many friends, neighbors, and coworkers as we try to process this horrible tragedy.”
Green also shared a GoFundMe for Tyler and Sarah’s surviving son, Arlo, which has already raised more than $50, 000.
“Arlo is a strong boy, surrounded by family and friends who are supporting him as best we can,” his family said in the GoFundMe.
Anthony Orlando Sherwin, of Nebraska, was identified by the Iowa Department of Public Safety as the shooter.
Once responding officers found three dead bodies at the campground, they “found that a camper was unaccounted for,” the release said.
A potential motive has not been released.
Authorities said Tuesday that the park, which claims to feature the most caves in all of Iowa, is closed to the public while the investigation is underway.
Anthony Orlando Sherwin, of Nebraska, and an entrance to the Maquoketa Caves State Park campground.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement she was “horrified” by the shooting and “devastated by the loss of three innocent lives.”
“As we grieve this unimaginable tragedy, Kevin and I pray for the victims’ family members and the law enforcement officers who responded to the scene,” she wrote on Twitter. “We ask Iowans to do the same.”
Camp Shalom, a Christian summer camp, had children staying near where the shooting broke out. The kids were evacuated, organizers wrote in a Facebook post, with no attendees injured.
“There was an emergency situation this morning at the Maquoketa Caves,” the post said. “We evacuated camp as soon as we learned about it. All campers and staff are safe and accounted for in town at Little Bear Park.”
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