Christopher Browning went to daycare with the man who shot and killed five people in Lake Havasu City before taking his own life.

“I was really shocked to find out what happened,” said the 26-year-old Barstow, Calif., resident. “I couldn’t believe it. I had just talked to him that Thursday night (before the Saturday shooting). I knew he was going through a hard time, but I didn’t really (know) the extent of everything that was going on. When I talked to him, it didn’t seem that bad. I was definitely very surprised.”

Brian Diez, 26, entered his former home in the 300 block of Opossum Drive about 11:50 p.m. Aug. 28 and opened fire. He killed 23-year-old Deborah Langstaff, the mother of this two children. Langstaff and Diez had ended their long-term relationship this year.

Other Lake Havasu City residents who were killed included Primo Verdone, 24; Russell Nyland, 42; Ashleigh Nyland, 20; and Broc Kelson, 20. Debbi Nyland, 44, was the sole survivor and remains in good condition at a Las Vegas hospital. She was the Russell’s wife and Ashleigh’s mother.

Diez then took his two children, 13-month-old Cole Diez and 4-year-old Kaia Diez, and drove to his sister’s house in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. He dropped the children off at the door around 3:30 a.m. Aug. 29 and then shot himself in his truck.

Browning said he has been friends with Diez for 20 years.

“I wasn’t there when things took a turn for the worst,” he said. “I really don’t understand the circumstances. I wasn’t trying to pry. I just knew he was having a hard time. He was obviously in a lot of pain. It’s still a shock when I think about it. I’m still a little lost. It’s a tragic thing. I hate for people to only remember him for that horrible thing that happened, that that was all he was as a person. The Brian I knew, he was a really good person. I don’t know what happened.”

Browning described Diez has a “real funny guy.”

“He had a good sense of humor. He’d like to joke around a lot. He always made me laugh,” he said. “That is what surprised me about him. He’s a really good guy. He cared a lot.”

Browning said Diez loved his children and he was supportive of Browning when his father died.

“It’s still hard to wrap my head around what happened,” he said. “Obviously, that’s what people are going to remember. That’s not all who he was. He made a really bad choice. It was a tragic thing that happened. He was a good person. I think this past month, he made some mistakes because it was a hard time for him. I wish he would have taken the chance to reach out for help.”

You may contact the reporter at jleatherman@havasunews.com