HOT SPRINGS, MT — A Halloween night with family turned tragic for Diana Lopez, who survived a shooting near Prairie Lane just outside Hot Springs that killed two people and injured her.
Investigators are still piecing together what led up to the shooting in Sanders County. A man is now in custody, and Lopez is speaking out about the Friday night attack.
The suspect, Neil Morris, is accused of killing her husband, 41-year-old Erik Jamerson, and her grandmother, 63-year-old Linda Purdy.
Lopez says Morris rented a room in her grandmother's home and had become like extended family.
"My kids called him grandpa, for God's sake," Lopez said.
She says the family had just returned from trick-or-treating with their four children when the shooting happened.
"Next thing you know, the door flies open," Lopez said.
"I remember I got hit twice during that time and I was screaming for help," Lopez said.
Lopez says Morris left the house. As she tried calling for help, neither her cell phone nor the landline would work. She screamed for her cousin, who lived nearby and came over to call 911.
The Sanders County Sheriff's Office says Jamerson and Purdy died at the scene, and Morris is now in custody. Lopez survived and is now out of the hospital.
"There will never be anything to take back what he did. It is unexplainable, and my grandma and husband are never coming back," Lopez said.
Her family has started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses and her recovery.