Man, 25, killed in Western Psych shooting laid to rest

DELMONT, Pa. -- Friends and family members  paid their final respects Tuesday morning at the funeral for a Regent Square man who was killed in a shooting spree at the Western Psychiatric Institute of Pittsburgh in Oakland last week.

A burial mass for Michael Schaab, 25, was held at 11 a.m. at the St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in Delmont. Family members said this is the same church where funeral services for his only sister were held two years ago. Schaab's sister, Nancy, was shot and killed in a domestic violence incident in 2010.

• Michael Schaab memorial fund

Channel 11 News spoke with Schaab's father, Harry, who talked more about the plans his son had for the future.

Harry Schaab said his son began a career in business but became a therapist so he could help people.

The victim had just returned from his lunch break Thursday when he was shot and killed. His father said he was getting a money order to use as a down payment on his grad school tuition.

“He made an impact on everybody he met,” said Harry Schaab. “It just melts my heart. I ask myself, why did God want Michael?  He was helping.  He still had a whole life of help ahead of him, and we just try to look at why he was taken so early."

• Previous Story: Man killed in Western Psych shooting worked as therapist, was recently engaged

During a vigil on Sunday, loved ones remembered Schaab as a son, fiancé and true friend.

People attending the vigil outside Old Route 66 Grille in Greensburg on Sunday told Channel 11 News they were there to remember a man who was a friend to everyone.

Schaab’s family said he just got engaged on Valentine's Day.

"The outpouring of love for me and my wife in this tough time eases the pain. It doesn't fill the void in my heart," said Harry Schaab.

Loved ones said Schaab was a true friend who went out of his way for others.

“He was a selfless person and the kind of person that, you hear this all the time, but he lit up a room when he was in it,” said friend Amanda Giacobbi. “Whatever mood you were in, you were going to be in the mood Mike was in by the time you left.”

The Schaabs said they will now dedicate their lives to making sure hospitals have proper security so their son did not die in vain.

"My son would never want anyone of his employees, another victim, like he suffered himself," Harry Schaab said.

In the meantime, investigators are still trying to determine what prompted the shooting rampage.

Police are studying handwritten notes, medication and items recovered from the home of the suspect John Shick, 30.

Neighbors reported Shick behaved erratically and would post angry notes on his apartment door in the days before the shooting.

WPXI