Klamath Falls community mourns loss of two girls taken too soon

KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. —One man was arrested and an investigation is underway, after a double homicide in Klamath County.  According to the Klamath Falls Police Department, it happened Saturday morning on North Hills Drive.

Police say soon after arriving at a reported menacing, shots were heard. One victim died at the scene, another at the hospital.

The suspect, 20-year-old Elijah Croy was arrested on multiple charges including two counts of murder in the first degree. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any information regarding the case, reach out to Klamath Falls Police.

The two sisters who passed away are 19-year-old Aleeka and 14-year-old Zion Qualls. We’re told the two were more than sisters, they were best friends.

Friends say Aleeka loved to read, always thriving to educate herself. She had plans to attend college in Sacramento this fall. Zion loved to play video games, hang out with friends, and travel.

The two leave behind their father Tashka Qualls, a well-known tattoo artist in Klamath Falls. April Keating works with Qualls and says he’s very close with his girls.

“I don’t know if Tashka is ever going to be the same, I’d like to tell him things will get better but I don’t think anybody ever overcomes losing children,” said Keating.

A GoFundMe has been set up to cover the funeral expenses for Aleeka and Zion. You can find a link to it here.

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Jenna King is the 6pm anchor and our Feature Reporter at 10pm and 11pm for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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