With tears in their eyes, neighbors are still reeling thinking about what happened in the quaint Schalren Drive neighborhood.
"You know, you read about these things, but it hits home when it's here," said Lee Rausch.
Several families, like the Rausches, have lived on Schalren Drive for decades. They say police and fire crews are an unfamiliar sight.
"There were police and fire trucks everywhere," said Rausch. "I think there were five companies there. And the house was fully involved in flames."
Now, there are just charred remains at house number 35. The home has been boarded up. Police say Colonie Police Officer Israel Roman shot his wife Deborah and his 10-year-old son Nathan, lit the house on fire, then shot himself.
"How do you kill your child? It's just so foreign to me," questioned Rausch. "It's unbelievable."
Family spokesperson and Deborah's nephew, Stephen O'Donell, says the family has had a tough time understanding how such a tragedy could happen. The couple married in 1999.
Several neighbors were too upset to speak on camera, but said they can recall the 44-year-old watching his children as they got onto the school bus.
Roman's older son, Noah, was at a basketball game the night of the tragedy. Neighbors' surveillance video shows some of his clothing put into a car by his father before the fire.
"Obviously, he planned this if he did that in advance," said Rausch. "I just cannot relate to it; it's unbelievable. I have two children of my own; they're grown. And if they ever even fell sick, I would be worried to death about them."
While the investigation is still ongoing, friends and family have set up a bowling fundraiser on Sunday for Noah. If you cannot attend, you can still donate at https://www.youcaring.com/noah-520173