Community remembers Brandy Manville, Portage High School staff member – NBC Chicago

A northwest Indiana school community mourned the loss of a beloved staff member who was killed in a murder-suicide Friday evening.

Brandy Manville, a secretary at Portage High School, died after her husband, Charles Manville, shot her in their Portage home. Her 21-year-old daughter Hayleigh was also shot and remained in the hospital Sunday evening.

After the shooting, the close-knit community faces difficult days.

“She was the best mother, she was always a mother first… And not just her own children, but every other child that walked the halls,” said Brandy’s best friend Olivia Chelich.

Chelich told NBC Chicago it was heartbreaking to lose someone who was so kind and caring. Brandy had two children – Hayleigh and a teenage son.

“She went to the ends of the earth to make sure her children were taken care of and that they were happy and had everything they ever wanted,” Chelich said.

The night of the shooting, Hayleigh called 911 and said her father was drunk and armed with a gun. As first responders approached the home, they heard several gunshots coming from inside. Brandy Manville died at the scene, authorities said.

Hayleigh was seriously injured and transported by medical helicopter to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. Hayleigh, a soccer standout, studies nursing and is now fighting for her life – with an entire community behind her.

“She is in her third year and I truly believe that once she gets through this crisis, she will be the best nurse there is in this area,” Chelich said.