After surviving a brain aneurysm last year, Myles Rackley is once again fighting for his life in a Utah hospital. He was walking home from school on Tuesday with his mother and his brother from Brookwood Elementary School in Sandy, UT. The trio accepted a ride from a Samaritan when Jeremy Patterson used his car to ram the SUV the three were riding and started shooting. Rackley’s mother, 39-year-old Memorez Rackley, and his 6-year-old brother, Jase Rackley were shot and killed. Police initially said Myles is 9-years-old.
Myles was shot and injured by Patterson during the incident.
Jeff White, a family friend who is speaking for the family, said Myles is 11-years-old and he remains hospitalized. The aneurysm he suffered was without warning last year and was related to natural causes. He said it was terrifying. He described the child as a walking miracle.
When he missed his fifth grade graduation, which was held on Wednesday, students, parents and teachers read his name out loud and he was given a standing ovation, said Chloee Walker, one of his classmates.
The shooting that injured Myles and claimed the lives of his mother and brother happened three days after Rackley called police on Saturday and reported Patterson for harassment, said Jason Neilson, sergeant Sandy Police.
Samaritan sought help from area resident
The shooting happened close to Kathy Peterson’s home. She heard pounding and screaming at her front door. As she opened the door, she heard nearby gunshots and found a hysterical woman and three girls who were cowering. One of the girls was covered in blood. She was shot in the leg.
It was the Samaritan who went to Peterson’s home – terrified and crying.
She said Patterson was trying to kill everyone. Once the girls and woman were inside Peterson home, the Samaritan told her that Patterson had rammed his truck into her SUV.
The Samaritan’s daughter is in the hospital and is in stable condition. Police didn’t give an update on the girl’s condition and have not identified the Samaritan, since the family asked for privacy.
Investigators are still trying to discern whether the Samaritan knew the Rackley family or happened to see them and gave them a ride.
The motive for the shooting is not clear. Nielson said, they are investigating. What is known is that 39-year-old Rackley was married to another man. Patterson, who fatally shot himself, was not her three sons’ father.
Shooter posted threatening messages on social media
In the days prior to the shooting and killing 3, including himself, Patterson posted messages that were threatening on social media. In one Facebook post, he expressed his love for Rackley and stated that he was disappointed that she kept him a secret from her family and friends, according to the Daily Mail news.
Authorities acknowledge that Patterson and Memorez were or had been in some type of relationship. They described Tuesday’s incident as targeted. White said that he also didn’t know the nature of their relationship.
According to Toni Linsenmeyer, Rackley and her husband were separated. Linsenmeyer’s daughter was in the same class as Rackley’s deceased 6-year-old son. Rackley’s husband her daughter’s soccer team coached. She said the incident “broke my heart.”
According to White, Rackley’s husband is dealing with his losses “as well as can be expected.” White, a family friend for over 30 years, described Rackley as an amazing mother. She was beloved by family and friends.
