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West Bend community rallies to support victim's families
As West Bend mourns the deaths of four people over the weekend, local businesses are stepping in to help.
WEST BEND, Wis. - As West Bend mourns the deaths of four people over the weekend, local businesses are stepping in to help.
Community comes together
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"A lot of sadness, a lot of grief, I think the whole community, especially the people that knew them really close or just heartbroken," said Megan Camin.
It is a palpable feeling of despair in West Bend, as a community grieves over the loss of four people found dead inside this home on Saturday.
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"You wouldn’t picture something like this to happen, so it’s just a surprise," Camin said.
Camin is a bartender at Al’s Hideout. She said the suspect – David Slawnikowski – and the adult woman whose identity has not been released were regulars.
"They played darts on the Wednesday night, every Sunday you could catch him here. It’s just, it’s just still shocking," Camin said.
West Bend death investigation: Dead suspect identified, former MPD officer
West Bend police have identified the suspect who was found dead among three other people in a West Bend home on Saturday, Nov. 7, as 54-year-old David Slawnikowski.
A painful tragedy, Camin said, the pub is taking action by raising money for the victims' families.
"We’ve got the tip jar out here that we’re collecting donations from customers regulars anybody wants to come in and drop anything off," Camin said.
Turning pain into a helpful way to cope for the victims' loved ones.
"They deserve every bit of help that this community is giving them," said Anny Mayer.
Pleasant Valley Pub is also helping the cause by collecting donations.
"Anything they can do to help. Donation baskets, there’s going to be raffles, there is a silent auction, all proceeds that we make are going directly to the family," said Kayla Connell.
It is an effort that both Mayer and Connell say hits close to home.
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"All of our families hung out together. My kids are friends with her kids. Her kids watched my kids. We did holidays together, birthday parties. We’re all very close," Mayer said.
"The community’s hurting. They were staples in this community, and it’s just hard," Connell said.
Nov. 29 fundraiser
What's next:
The community is hosting a big fundraiser that is taking place on Nov. 29 at the Washington County Fairgrounds Ziegler Building from 11 am to 7 pm.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Abril Preciado and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Megan Camin, Anny Mayer, Kayla Connell and FOX6 News.