MONTESANO, Wash. — About 200 people gathered in a Montesano park Thursday evening to remember Kenny Koonrad, one of two people killed at a Shelton home on Tuesday.
Koonrad leaves behind a 13-year-old son he was raising in Montesano.
“He was our hero. And that’s never going to change,” said Cody McDowell, one of his nephews.
Mason County deputies said Koonrad, 34, and Tara Abernathy, 32, were found face-down and shot on Tuesday. Koonrad’s friends told KIRO 7 the location was likely Abernathy’s home in Shelton, and that the two had only met a few weeks ago.
On Wednesday, Tara Abernathy’s ex-husband, Jared Abernathy, was surrounded by law enforcement at a Motel 6 in Oregon.
During a stand-off, Jared Abernathy shot and killed himself.
Mason County authorities told KIRO 7 they quickly received tips that Jared Abernathy had threatened his ex-wife ever since their divorce in 2015.
Casey Causey, who has been a close friend of Koonrad’s for the past year, said he was supposed to visit her that night, but she had to tend to her sick child. She sent him a message the next day that was never returned.
Causey found out why, a day later.
“When I was going through a bad divorce, he was there for me. When I was scared to be alone – somebody broke into my house a couple of weeks ago – he dropped everything and came to my house so I didn’t have to be by myself,” she said. “If that was what was going on, he would have been there for her in a heartbeat. And if he thought that she was in trouble or she was scared, he would have been there for her, no matter what.”
Many attending the Thursday night vigil described Koonrad as a protector, someone who would drop everything to take care of others. They said he was a tremendous father, whose whole life revolved around his son.
Koonrad’s older sister gave this statement to KIRO 7:
"There are no words to describe the utter agony that has been felt because of this selfish act. Kenny Koonrad was my baby brother. He was one of the most kind, generous and loving human beings to ever grace this planet. His memory will never fade, and he will be missed for the remainder of my days."
Koonrad's friends have set up a fund to help his son. People can donate to a fund in the name of Kenny Koonrad at Great Northwest Federal Credit Union in Aberdeen.
Cox Media Group
