Coworkers of Norfolk double murder-suicide victim speak out about warning signs of domestic violence

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — When Lori Bishop first welcomed Lorin Mack to her work team, she never thought she’d be organizing a GoFundMe for Mack’s surviving family just months later.

Investigators say Mack, 30, was inside her Norfolk home on Sept. 26 with her 10-year-old daughter Ari’anna. That’s when police say Nathan White II, 35, shot both Mack and her daughter before turning the gun on himself.

Officials say the call for the shooting came in around 3:30 a.m. Sunday at a home in the 200 block of West Balview Avenue. When police arrived on the scene, they found the three people suffering from gunshot wounds.

White and Ari’anna both died at the home, but police say Mack fought for several days at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital before she died on Sept. 28.

A police spokesman confirmed White was Mack’s boyfriend. 10 On Your Side is still working to learn what led up to the incident, but investigators are calling it a domestic-related shooting.

“Not having the warning signs, or the opportunity to help, it really has been very difficult,” said Bishop, Mack’s coworker. “I think that was probably the hardest thing to deal with for all of us, including her manager. There just were no signs… none. There was maybe one conversation that eluded to the need to try to get the gentleman that did this some help, but there were no signs.”

• Lorin Mack Family Support

Both Bishop and a second coworker, Judy Griffin, worked with Mack for just over a year. During that time, they were able to see into her daily life and even meet Ari’anna.

“Getting a chance to see her beam as her daughter came into the Zoom frame and talk about things that she and her mom like to do together,” explained Bishop. “It was just a really special moment that we really cherish even more now.”

Ari’anna attended Ocean View Elementary School in Norfolk. School officials released a statement to 10 On Your Side about her as a student saying, “We remain extremely saddened by the death of Ari’Anna Mack and her mother. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with their family and loved ones at this time.”

• You can donate to a GoFundMe set up for Lorin and Ari’anna’s loved ones here.

Coworkers say working remotely keeps you from seeing the obvious signs of potential domestic violence, but there are still areas where red flags can present themselves.

“Really check on your people,” said Griffin. “If you notice maybe something is different about their performance, dig in a little bit. There might be a way to really get to the root of what’s going on, you know? If there’s a shift in behavior or numbers you know, really talk to your folks. Because they’ll feel safe and want to speak with you and potentially let you know what’s going on in their lives.”

Although it won’t bring the mother and daughter back, Mack’s coworkers are hoping the tragedy raises awareness among remote workers to keep a lookout in every work environment to take care of each other.

“Anyone needs to take any level of threat super seriously and to tell people what’s going on with you because your lens is different when you’re in a relationship with someone,” said Bishop.

“There will be a lesson from this. I’m still waiting for it because this was pretty devastating for us as a team, but we know there’s going to be some type of light from this. Because that was just Lorin… and I think this would just be a continuation of her impact… for this to shine a light on some things you don’t always see,” Bishop said.

Stay with WAVY.com for more local news updates.

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If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, click here.