Friends of Peter Manfredonia, who is the center of a multistate hunt after being accused of killing two people, say they're shocked and call him a 23-year-old who couldn't hurt a fly.

"Never in a million years did I think, know he's going to hurt someone else," says one of his friends, who asked to remain anonymous.

Manfredonia is accused of killing two people along with other crimes committed during Memorial Day weekend, police say.

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Friends say the 23-year-old was always smiling, was transitioning to veganism, raised money for Sandy Hook Promise, was training for triathlons and was working on developing his own major at UConn.

They are pleading for him to put an end to what they call senseless violence.

Sources say Manfredonia grew up just a few houses down from the Sandy Hook school shooter, but that the two events have nothing to do with each other.