Community members gathered Tuesday night at Muscatine High School Stadium for an emotional vigil honoring the six people killed in a shooting that has left the Iowa community devastated.

The vigil became especially heartbreaking when Jonathan McFarland, the surviving son of the alleged shooter, took the stage to speak. In a voice filled with grief, he described still struggling to accept what had happened.

“Just, it’s hard to even think that this is even real,” Jonathan told the crowd, saying he remained in a state of shock and denial following the tragedy.

He then read a deeply emotional tribute, naming each of the family members he lost.

“I just wanted to say that I will forever love and miss my mom, Lesa, my sister, Ryle, my four brothers, Dakota, Austin, Mark, and Ryan,” he said.

Jonathan also addressed his father, Ryan Willis McFarland, whom police identified as the shooter before he later died by suicide during a confrontation with officers.

“This might hurt some people for me to say,” Jonathan said. “No matter what is being told to me, I will always love and miss my dad, Ryan.”

He also asked for privacy as he begins the grieving process, requesting space not only for himself but also for close friends and loved ones.

“As the family begins to navigate the aftermath of the tragedy, I ask for a little while as we grieve and mourn the loss of our loved ones,” he said.

The vigil, held just days after the shooting, brought together grieving residents, school officials, and community leaders trying to make sense of the violence.

According to police, officers were called shortly after noon on Monday to a home on Park Avenue in Muscatine. There, they found four people fatally shot. Authorities later identified 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland as the suspect, who died by suicide after being confronted on a nearby trail.

Investigators also discovered two additional victims at separate locations in the city—one at a residence on Mill Street and another at a business on Grandview Avenue.

The names of all six victims were read publicly for the first time during the vigil:

Lesa McFarland, 51
Ryle McFarland, 20
Ryan McFarland Jr., 13
Dakota Whitlow, 32
Austin Harris, 29
Mark McFarland, 16

Another speaker, Audrey Perdue, the fiancée of Dakota Whitlow, shared her grief over the future she had lost. She described Whitlow as her partner and spoke about the life they had planned together.

“My heart is broken as I grieve the loss of my fiancé and the life that we had planned to live together,” Perdue said. She also urged the community to come together in remembrance of all six victims.

Perdue used her remarks to raise awareness about domestic violence, encouraging those in dangerous situations to seek help through local and national support services.

“Every year, countless lives are lost to senseless acts of domestic violence,” she said. “If you or a loved one are experiencing domestic violence, I urge you to tell someone right away.”

Muscatine Community School District Superintendent Clint Christopher also addressed the crowd, emphasizing shared grief across the school community where several of the victims were students or connected to the district.

“Tonight, we come together not for answers, but for each other,” Christopher said. “There’s no right way to process a loss of this magnitude.”

Muscatine Police Chief Tony Kies praised the community for its support in the aftermath of the tragedy, saying residents had shown unity in the face of devastation.

“This city is not defined by the tragedy that took place,” Kies said. “It is defined by the overwhelming support it has shown.”

He added, “So tonight, let us weep together as a community, as a family. We will stand united.”

The vigil closed with residents reflecting on the lives lost and the impact of the tragedy on families, friends, and the wider Muscatine community still searching for healing in the wake of the violence.