Woman fatally shot inside Portage home ID'd as high school staff member; daughter injured

PORTAGE, Ind. (WLS) -- A Northwest Indiana high school is mourning the loss of one of their own. It comes after Portage, Indiana police responded to a home Friday night and found three people shot.

Two of them died, including high school administrative assistant Brandy Manville.

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A moment of silence was held at Portage High School Saturday for a staff member who was ripped away from their lives.

"Brandy was not just a colleague. She was a mother, a mentor, and a friend to many," the principal said at the gathering. "Her kindness, wisdom and unwavering support touched the hearts of everyone who knew her."

Portage, Indiana police said Manville was one of three people found shot inside of a home on Monument Avenue near Blacker Street Friday night. Officers responded around 7:41 p.m. to a "domestic disturbance" at the home, police said.

Loved ones told ABC7 that her 21-year-old daughter, a former student at the high school, was the only one of the three to survive the shooting.

"She had so much to live for," Manville's best friend Olivia Chelich said.

Those who knew the 46-year-old woman are remembering her as a great parent and educator.

"Brandy was the best mother you could ever ask for," Chelich said. "She lived and breathed her children. No kid walked away from her office hungry. No kid walked away from her office upset. It was always with a smile."

Police responded to the home after receiving a 911 call from someone stating that her father was intoxicated, throwing things and armed with a gun. On that same phone call, police say, operators heard the man say, "everyone was going to die," and then the sound of gunfire.

Once officers got on scene and forced their way inside, police say, they found 45-year-old Charles Manville dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, along with Brandy and her daughter.

Students and staff are grappling with the tragedy that unfolded.

"I'm so sorry. This is not fair," Chelich said. "This was not how it was supposed to be."

Police say they believe it was an isolated shooting, and there's no threat to the public. Investigators told ABC7 at this time the surviving victim has not been able to provide a statement, so a motive is unclear. ABC7 was told that 21-year-old is now stable, but she still has serious to life-threatening injuries.

"She was a fierce protector of her children, and everyone that she loved," Chelich said.