The family of Hayes Morgheim, one of the victims of a murder-suicide over the weekend in Grand Island, wants people to know he died a heroic death, trying to protect a woman he had just started dating after they met online.
 Morgheim, 23, was one of two people killed by Rex Goodell early Sunday morning on West Arizona Avenue. After Goodell killed Morgheim and Goodell's estranged wife, Emily, he then killed himself.
 The Goodells both lived in Lincoln. Morgheim lived at the home on West Arizona Avenue with his family.
In addition to those who were killed, two other people were home at the time of the shootings — Morgheim's mother and her fiance. Hayes Morgheim was the only child of Ms. Morgheim. The fiance spoke to The Independent but asked that their names not be used.
 Morgheim and Emily Goodell, 23, had known each other only a short time after meeting online. They had traveled from Lincoln to Grand Island Saturday night.
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 It's believed that when Rex Goodell, 26, arrived from Lincoln early Sunday morning, Morgheim went outside to confront him and ask him to leave the premises shortly after 2:15 a.m. Rex Goodell then fatally shot him in a neighbor's yard.
 Morgheim was trying to help someone who was asking for help to get out of a bad domestic situation, the fiance said on behalf of the family. His good nature and willingness to help people cost him his life, the fiance said.
 After meeting on an online dating site, Morgheim and Emily Goodell had only been out together a couple of times.
 Because of her ex-husband, "Emily had told Hayes that she did not feel safe at all and wanted to leave their Lincoln home Saturday night," Ms. Morgheim's fiance said.
 Emily called Morgheim Saturday night to ask him to bring her somewhere safe. "So Hayes, being the kind-hearted soul that he is, did that and brought her here to be safe, at least overnight until a plan could be figured out on Sunday."
 Morgheim had been planning to move to Lincoln to get his own place and go back to school, so that was one of the possible options being considered.
 Until Saturday night, Hayes Morgheim's mother and her fiance had never met Emily Goodell. All they knew was that he was dating a new girl from Lincoln named Emily.
 "So he brought her here. We were home asleep in bed. They got back from Lincoln late Saturday night, and they were sitting downstairs talking," he said.
 "Then the next thing I know, we awoke to gunshots and yelling in my living room," the fiance said.
 Rex Goodell had tracked Emily to Grand Island, probably through her phone, "and showed up on our door apparently ready for war."
 Some text messages had apparently been exchanged between Emily Goodell and her ex.
 "Hayes went out to try to defuse the situation and to tell him he's clearly not welcome here," the fiance said.
 Before he went outside, he told Emily to stay inside and lock the door, which she had done.
 Outside, Rex Goodell shot Morgheim in the chest multiple times with a 9mm handgun in the neighbor's yard.
 Rex Goodell then "kicked in our front door" and was yelling for Emily.
 When Rex Goodell came inside, Ms. Morgheim and her fiance were "both upstairs with the door locked as instructed by the 911 operator. We have no weapons here," the fiance said. To say they were "extremely scared" would be an understatement. "I was trying to keep the dogs quiet."
 Meanwhile, Rex Goodell "was yelling and raising all hell, is the best way to describe it."
 Rex Goodell shot Emily. Knowing that Grand Island police had arrived, he then panicked and shot himself. Both Goodells died inside the home.
 Ms. Morgheim and her fiance had no idea how bad the situation was between the Goodells. Just from the small pieces of information they'd heard, they had told Hayes that Emily needed to contact the Lincoln police.
 But, "We had no idea that someone would go to such great lengths to track down their ex and do that," the fiance said.
  The fiance called 911 as soon as the trouble began. "They got here very quickly. We're very appreciative of the GIPD. They did their job as best they could, from the get-go."
 The fiance estimates that Rex Goodell fired 15 shots during the ordeal.
 No shots were fired by Grand Island police.
 Rex and Emily Goodell were the parents of two children, who are 2 and 4.
 Ms. Morgheim's fiance stressed that Hayes' final actions were noble.
 "Hayes was just trying to help. He was just trying to rescue someone out of a bad situation, and he paid the ultimate price for caring. That's what we want people to know."
 In a message to The Independent, Ms. Morgheim said "the family is very grateful for the quick actions of the G.I. police arriving on scene and the care with which the family was treated during the night's events."