Penn Wood High School community mourns death of student killed in East Lansdowne shooting, house fire
EAST LANSDOWNE, Pa (CBS) – Neighbors with children in the William Penn School District started paying their respects Friday for the children killed in a shooting and fire at their home in East Lansdowne, Delaware County.
"The entire thought hurts me," said 19-year-old Matthew Jernigan. "It shakes me down to my core."
He graduated in 2023 from Penn Wood High School. As he walked through his neighborhood Friday afternoon, he remembered seeing one of the Le daughters, who lived in a nearby home, that was overtaken by flames and burned just a matter of days ago.
In the school hallways and the neighborhood, Jernigan saw 17-year-old Natalya Le, whose family said she died Wednesday along with her parents, Britni McLaughlin-Le and Xuong Le, sister Nakayla Le and brother Xavier Le. This all happened during a shooting and fire at 58 Lewis Avenue in East Lansdowne on Wednesday.
"The possibility that she had," Jernigan said. "Like, she had a whole life. You know? There was so much possibilities for her to explore, so many things she could have done. And because of this, now she won't get the opportunity to do so ever again."
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Jernigan's mother Michelle said her daughter went to Penn Wood with Le and had a hard time Thursday with losing a classmate.
"Had to take her out of school a little bit earlier," she said.
Michelle said her daughter heard the gunshots and saw the fire.
"She was upset because this thing happen right on front of her eyes, and we were watching it. Then at school, they were talking [about] something else. So to her, it was upsetting. She couldn't bear it," Michelle said.
Neighbors on and near Lewis Avenue are mourning. But as investigators continued to comb through the rubble Friday, Michelle said parents can look out for signs their kids are struggling with all of this.
"They might be talking about it too much, or they don't want to talk about it any at all," she said. "They need somebody to tell them that it's okay, and things like this do happen."
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Jernigan offered this to his former classmates who may now see an empty seat where Natalya once sat.
"I would just try to think of the better memories they had with her, to at least acknowledge that she was here," Jernigan said.
William Penn School District officials said they have counselors ready to help students who are struggling to cope with the tragedy. The district also said they are working with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit to offer additional support tools where needed.