Last week, tragedy struck the Stockdale Family Band—a bluegrass group known for its conservative Christian values—when one of the bandmates shot and killed his youngest brother and mother before attempting to take his own life. According to The Columbus Dispatch, Jacob, 25, fatally shot his 21-year-old brother, James W. Stockdale, and 54-year-old mother, Kathryn B. Stockdale. The motive is not yet known, but police found Jacob with a gunshot wound to the head after he apparently turned the weapon on himself. He is currently recovering in the hospital.
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While the remaining family members, which includes the father and two more brothers, are reeling in the wake of the horrific incident, they have chose to publicly forgive and pray for Jacob.
“I don’t know why Jacob did what he did last week, but I do know he is my brother,” Calvin Stockdale, the family’s eldest son, said in a statement. “I speak for our family when I say we love him and forgive him. The prayers and support for my family have been deeply appreciated and we ask for continued prayers for Jacob’s healing—body, mind, and spirit.”
Calvin’s words of reconciliation came on the heels of his remarks last week, in which he thanked the public for their thoughts and prayers and remembered his deceased brother James as a “catalyst of family fun.”
“James, our youngest brother, has always been a catalyst of family fun. Aside from being a gifted musician, James enjoyed dancing and had an innate love of people. James was working on a business degree and hoped to go into the business side of entertainment. He leaves behind many friends and a family that love him dearly,” Calvin said. “My brother, Jacob, is still in critical condition and we are praying for his physical recovery as our family makes funeral plans and begins the healing process.”
In a statement last Friday, the family patriarch, Tim Stockdale, reflected on the life of his “beloved wife” Kathy.
“Kathy has been my beloved wife of 32 years and a wonderful mother to our four sons,” he said. “She loved nothing more than being a mother and grandmother. She had a strong love of learning and was passionate about her Christian faith, natural health, and organic farming.”
As Cleveland’s News5 reported, the Stockdale family are members of the Zion Reformed Church, and the church has set up a GoFundMe page to defray funeral costs and help with Jacob’s medical expenses.
H/T: Christian Post
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