SEQUOYAH COUNTY, Okla. — On June 18, 50-year-old Stacy Lee Drake entered LaFerry's Propane in Gans, Oklahoma and allegedly shot and killed Tara Barnett-Underwood and Taylor Sharp.
Drake then fled into Arkansas, prompting a days-long manhunt before he was eventually caught and arrested in Morrilton.
In the time since then, families of both victims have spoken to 5NEWS about the difficulty of losing their loved ones and how they're working to move forward.
In the meantime, friends of the two victims are planning a special celebration and fundraiser next month.
Stacey Mason and Jayme Gilley started planning the event on Wednesday and have already had such an outpouring of support that it has been moved to a larger venue.
The event, slated for July 20 now at the Sequoyah County Fairgrounds, will go from noon to around 5 p.m. and celebrate the lives of Underwood and Sharp, as well as work to raise funds in support of the family they leave behind.
Barnett-Underwood and Sharp were both parents and leave behind nine total children.
"If anybody knows the Sequoyah County as well as we do, we're all family. We're not just neighbors. We're not just people that pass by and say hello, we're a family, and whenever tragedy strikes, we're all ready, ready and willing to do whatever it takes," Gilley said.
To hear more about the fundraiser and the people organizing it, click here.
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