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WILKES-BARRE — By the time the call came in about what Randy Stair was going to do, the Weis supermarket employee had shot and killed three co-workers and himself early Thursday morning inside the Wyoming County store, Wilkes Mayor Tony George said.

George Monday filled in gaps about what city police did after the call. He estimated city police received the call at 12:55 a.m. Thursday, 11 minutes after the lone survivor fled the store and phoned 911 to report the rampage. City police made several calls in an attempt to alert the proper authorities and contacted state police at Tunkhannock who had been dispatched to the 911 call, he said.

“They said they were already en route,” George said.

A call to state police Monday was not returned.

The phone calls to Wilkes-Barre police headquarters and the 911 call by Kristin Newell are detailed in the affidavit of the search warrant state police served Friday on Stair’s house in Franklin Township, removing notebooks, computers and DVDs, shotgun shells and a receipt for a Mossberg shotgun purchased at a local gun shop.

In addition to the items seized, Stair, 24, left behind an online trove of videos and statements about his plans to carry out the murders and end his life.

Newell called Wyoming County 911 at approximately 12:44 a.m. to report Stair had shot her friend inside the Eaton Township store, the affidavit said. State police later interviewed Newell as part of the investigation of Stair’s suicide and the murders of Terry Sterling, 63, of Montrose, Victoria Brong, 25, of Tunkhannock, and Brian Hayes, 47, of Springville.

The affidavit, filed by Trooper John Youngblood, did not state the time of the call made to Wilkes-Barre police.

In the affidavit Youngblood wrote: “I was advised that a David Waugh of Richmond Virginia received a text message from Randy Stair earlier in the night of 06/07/17 – 06/08/17 indicating that by the time that he read this text message he was going to be dead. Waugh contacted Wilkes-Barre City PD and reported these text messages and forwarded them to Wilkes-Barre City PD; Lt. (Ralph) Elick.”

The text messages advised Waugh to watch a video Stair made before “police ban it,” and alerted Waugh to suicide tapes made by Stair, the affidavit said.

“We did act on it. Elick did what he was supposed to do,” George said.

George said city police contacted Dallas because Stair’s address was listed as Ransom Road, Dallas. Dallas referred them to state police in Tunkhannock because Ransom Road is in Franklin Township and covered by state police, George said. City police also called Luzerne County 911 to get the exact address, George said.

“One was calling state police and one was calling 911,” George said.

The affidavit further stated Stair texted his mother Lori at 12:37 a.m. Thursday discussing his journals and how to dispose of his remains. It also said that in the text he wished that his mother removed the hard drives from his computers before selling them.

Stair
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_gun-videoCMYK-4.jpg.optimal.jpgStair

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George said city police received a call and attempted to alert authorities about Randy Stair, the Weis Markets employee who shot and killed three co-workers and himself inside the company’s Eaton Township store the morning of June 8. A makeshift memorial was created outside the Wyoming County grocery store.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_19395-7.jpeg.optimal.jpegWilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George said city police received a call and attempted to alert authorities about Randy Stair, the Weis Markets employee who shot and killed three co-workers and himself inside the company’s Eaton Township store the morning of June 8. A makeshift memorial was created outside the Wyoming County grocery store.

By Jerry Lynott

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Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.