Three people are dead after a double murder-suicide in Lakewood.
Police said a 45-year-old man called his ex-wife early Sunday morning, saying he shot two people at a home on Chesterland Avenue.
According to investigators, the man threatened to shoot himself.
When officers arrived at the scene, they saw a man in a truck speeding away.
Police chased the truck until it stopped on Warren Road.
The man exited the vehicle with a gun to his head and shot himself a few minutes later, police said.
Officers located 35-year-old Richard Eastin and 33-year-old Amanda Wakut dead inside the kitchen of the home on Chesterland Avenue.
News 5's Cuyahoga County reporter Nadeen Abusada spoke to Wakut's friend and business partner, Megann Galehouse, about her.
"She was a mother, first and foremost," Galehouse said.
Galehouse told News 5 she had just talked to her in the days before she was killed, saying what happened seemed surreal.
"She said, 'Happy Birthday, I love you so much,' and I said, Thank you, I love you too,'" Galehouse said.
As police search for answers to what happened, Galehouse mourns Wakut and Eastin and is raising money for funeral costs. She's also raising money to support Wakut's 7-year-old son, who was with his grandmother when the shooting happened.
While it still doesn't feel real, she hopes people remember Amanda for her light and her spirit.
"She was always joking. I don't think I will ever forget her laugh. Her laugh was really, really good," Galehouse said.
The investigation into what prompted the shooting is ongoing.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover Wakut's funeral expenses and support her son. CLICK HERE for more information.
A GoFundMe has also been set up for Eastin's family. CLICK HERE for more information.
