Tyler Vandelac said he was preparing to go to the hospital after his brother caused him to dislocate his shoulder in a fight. Then he started hearing loud bangs coming from upstairs.
A Colorado man is speaking out about the devastating loss he suffered just days before Christmas.
Tyler Vandelac is the lone survivor of a triple-murder-suicide that claimed the lives of his parents, his brother, and his best friend on Dec. 6 in El Paso.
The El Paso County Coroner's Office identified the deceased on Dec. 12 as 54-year-old Desiree N. Vandelac, 57-year-old Robert V. Vandelac, 30-year-old Debray A. Scott, and 22-year-old Peyton S. Vandelac.
There has been little information about the ongoing investigation since that time, with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office refusing to identify the surviving family member and only saying that the deaths of Desiree, Robert, and Debray were being investigated as homicides.
That surviving family member is Tyler, who is now telling KRDO the events that led to this tragedy.
Tyler said that he and his best friend Debray were watching movies with his brother in the basement of the family's home when he and Peyton got into an argument about fixing the water fountains they used to get water for their dogs.
That argument soon turned physical said Tyler, when Peyton charged at him and sent him crashing into bathroom.
Tyler said that the fall caused him to dislocate his shoulder, and soon his parents started to criticize Peyton for his drinking and informed him that because of the incident he needed to dispose of all of the alcohol he had in the house.
At that point, Tyler said he started getting ready in his room for a trip to the hospital so someone could look at his shoulder.
"And then I hear some loud bangs happening, so I run upstairs to see what's going on, and I see my mom and dad just slumped over in the hallway," said Tyler.
He said that he also saw his brother wiping "what looked like a knife" on his father's leg.
Tyler said that at that point he rushed to the front door while yelling down to Debray.
He ultimately decided to go outside and contact 911.
When investigators entered the home a short time later, all four were dead.
Tyler is still in disbelief.
"My brother seemed completely stable the entire rest of the day up until this moment, and I don't know how someone goes from being a completely stable human being to triple homicide and suicide over some rum," he said.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on Tyler's version of events citing its ongoing investigation, and full autopsies of he victims are not expected until sometime next month.
Tyler said he is still struggling, and missing his family - including his brother.
"Of course, I'm angry at him after what he did ... what he did is something that deserves anger," said Tyler. "But I also do miss him. And frankly, you know, I do wish that none of this had ever happened."
He said that the timing is made even worse by how much his family loved the holiday.
"The most wonderful time of the year is not just a song for our family," said Tyler. "We genuinely indulge in Christmas."
