Public funeral for four Orlando children killed in standoff set for Saturday

A public funeral will take place this weekend for the four children who were tragically killed during a standoff at an apartment complex near Universal Orlando.

The funeral service will be held in honor of the children on Saturday at St. James Catholic Cathedral Church in downtown Orlando. The service begins at noon and is open to the public.

“The family is continuing to grieve considerably and coming to the realization that the children are not coming home,” said Walter Benenati, the family’s representative.

Police responded to a domestic violence call last Sunday at the apartment complex where Gary Lindsey, the ex-boyfriend of the children’s mother, shot one officer before eventually killing the four children and himself after a 21-hour-long standoff with police. The children were ages 1, 6, 10 and 11.

A GoFundMe account was later started for the mother of the children by the Benenati to help with funeral expenses and other finances. The account now has nearly $50,000.

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This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2018.