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Nevis community comes together following shooting

Police say that two sisters were killed by their brother-in-law, who then killed himself.

NEVIS, Minnesota — In Nevis, a town of 390, more than 300 came together at the Lutheran Church.

"We're all here to honor what has happened," said Mary Adams of Nevis.

They were honoring Candi Goochey and Heidi Pierce, sisters who police say were killed by their brother-in-law Bryce Bellomo. 

Mothers, who leave behind a total of seven kids.

"She loved being a mom. She absolutely did. She loved her kids a lot," said LaDonna Hanson, a co-worker of Goochey.

"It was a real big shock. Wow. Out of nowhere," said Sam Smith, a high school classmate of Goochey's.

Pierce's friends say she was a bubbly person.

"She actually had a T-shirt that she wore to work all the time that said 'Helpful Heidi.' She was a great person. Always happy, always in a great mood," said Pierce's co-worker Hanna Hicks.

Pierce was just married this summer to a co-worker from Mann Lake Beekeeping Supply.

"And they were great together. He was a little more reserved but they really evened each other out because they were so outgoing and always happy," Hicks said.

And Goochey worked at Northstar Orthodontics.

"She had a nice smile. She was always smiling. She was just a real soft-hearted person," Hanson said.

Police say Bellomo shot the sisters outside of a Nevis daycare then took their car and led deputies on a chase, firing and wounding one deputy. After a brief shootout, police say Bellomo killed himself.

Investigators haven't released a motive. 

Court records show that last fall, Bellamo's wife Billie Jo filed for divorce and the case was ongoing. 

Billy Jo wasn't physically harmed but is devastated. Between her and her sisters, 10 children lost a parent in the tragedy in Nevis.

"I think the small town everybody knows everybody and we're just going to come together like tonight and be there for each other," Hicks said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Goochey and Pierce.

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