Community Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | Remember Zoya Shablykina for her life, not how she died
On behalf of the Shablykina and Knowles families, we are issuing this statement to honor our beloved Zoya Shablykina and to address the tragedy that has devastated our household, the Gig Harbor community, and the surrounding Puget Sound area.
We speak today to ensure Zoya is remembered for the life she lived, rather than just the circumstances of her passing.
Our family is navigating a nightmare of unimaginable proportions following the loss of Zoya, a devoted mother and a deeply cherished grandmother. To her daughter, Anastasiya, and her granddaughter, Anna, Zoya was a source of endless love and light. To our community, she was a kind soul who spent years trying to navigate the complexities of her son Aleksandr’s severe mental health crisis.
Zoya Shabylinka
We want the public to understand that the person who committed these acts was not the man we knew. Aleksandr was a man lost to a battle with bipolar disorder who had tragically ceased his medication shortly before this event. While we struggle with the horror of his actions, we must also highlight the profound gaps in our current systems.
Despite our best efforts to seek help, we were met with a broken mental health care system that offered no real support for us or for him, ultimately leaving Alex in a car without the professional intervention he required. Furthermore, the 52-minute wait for a response from authorities during the crisis underscores a terrifying reality that no family should have to face. We recognize the systemic challenges facing our responders, but we believe these delays and the lack of proactive care are symptoms of a framework that failed everyone involved that day.
We are eternally grateful for the support of our close relatives and, most notably, Great Grandma Luba. Luba not only flew in from Kentucky at a moment’s notice to be by our side, but she endured the unthinkable — remaining on the phone with Zoya at the very moment the attack began. Her strength, along with the support of our extended family, is what is sustaining us through this darkness.
Our hearts remain shattered for the families of the three brave women — Joanne Brandani, Louise Talley, and Stephanie Killilea — who lost their lives. Their heroism represents the very best of our community.
We ask for privacy as we focus on supporting Anastasiya and Anna as they face a future without their matriarch. A community candlelight vigil will be held on Wednesday, March 4, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Skansie Brothers Park.
For those wishing to support Zoya’s daughter and granddaughter with grief and trauma counseling expenses, a GoFundMe page has been established by Rob Knowles.
Rob Knowles