ORLANDO, Fla. _ The mother of the four children who were held hostage and killed on Monday said she wanted her kids to be remembered as being "loving, wonderful children, full of life."
"I am heartbroken and feel completely alone," the children's mother 31-year-old Ciara Lopez said Tuesday, according to her family's representative, Walter Benenati.
Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr., 35, had battered Lopez earlier on Monday, leading to a daylong standoff with Orlando Police before shooting and critically injuring Officer Kevin Valencia. He then barricaded himself in Lopez's Orlando apartment and killed himself sometime after.
Benenati said the mom was "grieving considerably and is surrounded by loving family and friends."
"The pain comes from having her children in her life one day and then gone the next," Benenati said.
The family also shared new photos of her four children _ Irayan Pluth, 11; Lillia Pluth, 10; Aidan Lindsey, 6 and Dove Lindsey, 1 _ "doing what they loved most while here on Earth," Benenati said.
He added that the family is not considering any legal action at this time and is requesting privacy. Benenati is managing a GoFundMe campaign for the family to help cover funeral expenses. It was created Tuesday and has since raised over $38,000.
