ELKHORN, WIS. — Adding to a collection of flowers, candles and the like, Kasandra Church paid her respects Sunday for two lives she said were taken too soon.
“She’s an amazing woman and he was an amazing guy and they don’t deserve that,” Church said. “Anybody who were to ever meet them would know that they are just genuine good people.”
Elkhorn police said Gina and Emerson Weingart lost their lives just after midnight Thursday in a shooting at Sports Page Barr downtown and according to the latest update that shooter is still at large.
Days after the double homicide, a memorial for the victims outside of that bar, Gina’s workplace and where the couple was shot, continued to grow Sunday.
Many in the community are still awaiting answers.
“They haven’t said anything yet and that’s I think the worst part of it,” Church, Gina's friend, said of Police. “I feel like they need to start releasing something, so we feel safe in our community again. I should be able to go to work and not be scared.”
Church isn’t the only one looking for answers, less than two blocks away at St. John’s Church the Weingarts are top of mind.
“Heavenly father, we’re united in our community with both our sorrow and our solidarity as we come before you,” Pastor Tom Degroot said as he began his Sunday sermon. “We collectively grieve for this young couple for their love and their dreams and the promising future that was abruptly cut short.”
Degroot said while the couple wasn't a part of his congregation, many of their members are connected to the Weingarts in one way or another and in a community as small as theirs, news of the deaths has been devastating.
“There’s fear, there’s questions, wondering what the motive was, those kinds of things and I think maybe most of all heartbreak for what happened. It’s so tragic,” he said.
Some said while they're feeling nervous about the unknown, they're trusting area police are doing everything they can.
“If it were something that were unsafe for the community, I have the utmost faith they’d be advising organizations to take precautions,” churchgoer Stephen Quist said.
For those closer to the loss, that trust doesn’t come so easy. Church said the only thing that would bring her some comfort is making sure the killer is held responsible.
It’s a call for justice shared by others in the community but one they know won’t stop the pain of loss altogether.
Area police have not offered any additional updates since their press conference Thursday.
Services for Emerson and Gina will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 10th at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Burlington.
To help with funeral arrangement cost you can donate on gofundme.
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