On the morning of June 8, 2017, Terry Lee Sterling, a 63-year-old Caucasian male from South Montrose, Pennsylvania, went to his job at the Weis supermarket in Tunkhannock, not knowing it would be his last day. In the quiet, early hours, before the store opened to the public, a scene of terror unfolded that would end the lives of three people, including Sterling.
The devastating event that transpired was a murder-suicide perpetrated by one of Sterling's co-workers.
The man responsible for the tragedy was identified as 24-year-old Randy Robert Stair of Dallas, Pennsylvania. Stair, who had been working an overnight shift, blocked the store's exits and then began his deadly assault. Armed with two shotguns, he shot and killed Sterling and two other colleagues: 26-year-old Victoria Todd Brong and 47-year-old Brian Hayes. After taking the lives of his co-workers, Stair then turned one of the weapons on himself, ending his own life.
Investigators later discovered that Stair had posted a significant amount of online material that pointed to a deeply troubled young man who had been planning to die and to take others with him. The motive appeared to be rooted in his own personal turmoil and disenchantment, which he had documented extensively. The community was left in shock and mourning by the sudden and violent loss of three of its members. A small memorial of flowers was placed outside the supermarket as friends, family, and strangers alike came to pay their respects to the victims of the senseless act. Terry Lee Sterling was remembered by his loved ones as a family man, and his unexpected death was deeply felt by all who knew him. He was survived by his son, a brother, and grandchildren.
