ORLANDO, Fla. -- A public service was held Saturday for four children killed by a man during a 21-hour standoff in Orlando last week.
- Service held for children killed in Orlando standoff
- The four children were shot by a gunman last week
- The gunman shot the children before killing himself
The service was held at St. James Catholic Cathedral on North Orange Avenue.
The children's mother, Ciara Lopez, did not attend the service, but did release a statement through her attorney.
"I long terribly to be with them in their final moments, sharing in any pain they might have felt," the statement read. "I was told that they passed away in their beds--my girls holding each other, providing love and support and comfort to one another one last time."
The children--Irayan, 12; Lillia, 10; Aidan, 6; and Dove, 1--were found dead in their beds after law enforcement entered the apartment on June 11.
Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr, 35, shot and killed the children before turning the gun on himself, police said.
Lindsey was Lopez's boyfriend and father of two of the children.
In her prepared statement, Lopez also thanked Orlando Police officer Kevin Valencia while trying to save her children. Valencia was shot in the head by Lindsey. He remains in the hospital.