Arts & Entertainment Community
Vigil honors memory of women killed in stabbing near Wauna
About 100 people gathered at Skansie Brothers Park in Gig Harbor on Wednesday, March 4, for a candlelight vigil in honor of four women killed on Feb. 24 near Lake Kathryn.
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The crowd heard from local civic leaders and chaplains from the Gig Harbor Police Department and Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One. They lit candles and shared in community grief following the death of Zoya Shabylinka, Joanne Brandani, Stephanie Killilea and Louise Talley.
Mourners attended a candlelight vigil for victims of a stabbing near Wauna. Photo by Vince Dice
Not mentioned was Aleksandr Shablykin, the 32-year-old who killed the four women outside his mother’s home on 87th Avenue Court in Wauna. A Pierce County Sheriff’s Office deputy shot and killed Shablykin, who was the subject of a restraining order sought by Shablykina.
Documents associated with Shablykina’s order application indicate that Shablykin suffered from severe mental illness. A letter to the community from his surviving family called Shablykin “a man lost to a battle with bipolar disorder who had tragically ceased his medication shortly before this event.”
‘They were loved’
Robyn Denson, who represents the peninsula on the Pierce County Council, told the crowd that they gathered to “honor the beautiful lives that were taken from us too soon.”
Posters set up at the vigil included photos and information about the victims. Photo by Vince Dice
The slain women were active members of the community.
Talley was a longtime community volunteer. Brandani and Killilea were members of the city of Gig Harbor Arts Commission, a volunteer panel that screens applicants for Creative Endeavor Grants and advises city elected officials on arts matters.
Posters at the candlelight vigil memorialized the women killed late last month near Wauna.
Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber said the community “can’t make sense of this tragedy.”
“They were loved. They lived deeply,” Barber said. They showed up for others.”
A second vigil is planned for 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 7, in the grassy area outside the Local Boys at 6702 Tyee Dr. In Purdy.
Pierce County Councilmember Robyn Denson, left, and Gig Harbor Mayor Mary Barber embrace during a candlelight vigil on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Photo by Vince Dice