Friends of two slain Robert Morris University students expressed shock and disbelief yesterday and prayed for the recovery of a third student, Michelle Machusko, who was critically wounded in the shooting.

The shooting occurred late Tuesday night in the apartment Ms. Machusko shared with her boyfriend, H. Paul Visnansky, who was arrested by police as he attempted to flee the apartment by jumping off a second-floor balcony.

Mr. Visnansky, 23, a part-time postal employee, is charged with two counts of criminal homicide, one count of attempted homicide and one count of assault. He is being held without bond in the Allegheny County Jail.

Killed in the shooting were Michael Tatalovich, 20, of Aliquippa, and Jonathan Gilbert, 22, of Monaca, both sophomores at Robert Morris. The Allegheny County medical examiner's office said both men died of gunshot wounds to the head.

Ms. Machusko, who was shot seven times, remains in critical condition at UPMC Mercy.

Friends described both Mr. Tatalovich and Ms. Machusko as friendly and passionate individuals. The two met in Madison Hall last school year and were good friends, according to those who knew them.

Mr. Tatalovich, in particular, was known for being friendly and outgoing. He was known among the professional wrestling circuit as a rabid and enthusiastic fan and even wore a replica of the belt that the professional wrestlers wore. Dorm residents knew him as a comic who frequently donned his wrestling belt and mask and was always trying to cheer people up.

Sarah White, 19, who went to high school with Ms. Machusko in New Castle, said she got a text message from Ms. Machusko around 9 p.m. Tuesday, a few hours before the shooting. The message Ms. White received gave no indication of the violence that would occur later that night.

"Paul's coming home. I'll talk to you another time. Love you!!"

Like Mr. Tatalovich, Ms. Machusko was described as bubbly and friendly. The two were close friends and were frequently seen together on campus.

"She is the most energetic, outgoing person," said Ms. White. "She is just one of the most amazing people that I know."

According to friends, Ms. Machusko met Mr. Visnansky when she moved in across the hall from him in the Settler's Place apartment on Jonathan Court.

Ms. White said the two had recently been engaged and Ms. Machusko had taken Mr. Visnansky home to meet her family. Ms. White, who had met Mr. Visnansky a few times, said he was quiet but friendly and polite.

"I've never seen her so happy in my life," said Ms. White about Ms. Machusko's relationship with Mr. Visnansky. "They just seemed like they really loved each other."

Like many of Ms. Machusko's friends, she said there was no indication that anything was wrong with the relationship and was shocked to hear what had happened.

"I'm angry. I'm in disbelief," she said. "I don't know how this could have happened."

Mr. Visnansky worked as a rural carrier associate, meaning that he was called as needed to fill in at rural postal stations.

Relatives of Mr. Visnansky declined to comment. He was registered as 10-year member of the American Paintball Players Association, a sport where players form teams and shoot at each other with guns that fire paint-filled pellets.

In a 2004 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about a paintball tournament in Butler County, Mr. Visnansky was quoted about the sport's attraction. "It's the adrenaline rush," he said at the time.

Patrick Griffith, a sophomore at Robert Morris University, lived in Madison Hall with Mr. Tatalovich his freshman year. He said that Mr. Tatalovich was always upbeat.

"Whenever he was around he always made me feel happy and pretty good about myself," he said. "If you were down, then he'd come in and cheer you up."

In spite of his wrestling antics, Mr. Tatalovich was also known as being very smart. a member of the College Bowl team, which competed in academic challenges against other schools around the Northeast.

"If he was interested in something, he had to know every single thing about it," said Tyler Dawson, who met Mr. Tatalovich through attending wrestling events with him.

Mr. Dawson described his friend as having encyclopedic knowledge about everything from Japanese animation to wrestling to Robert Morris University basketball.

"I would just think, 'How in the world does he know all this stuff?' "

Both Mr. Tatalovich and Mr. Gilbert graduated from Center Area High School, Mr. Tatalovich in 2006 and Mr. Gilbert in 2004.

Mr. Gilbert attended Beaver County Community College but had just transferred to Robert Morris. Mr. Tatalovich requested to have Mr. Gilbert live in his dormitory suite, friends said.

Center Area High School Principal Anthony Mendicino said the two didn't fit into any one group within the school social structure.

"As far as high school, they had a wide variety of friends," he said. "They were friends with athletes; they were friends with band members; they were friends with everyone else."

Mr. Mendicino described both as respectful, hard-working students.

"I think both of them had a bit of innocence to them," he said. "You wouldn't have guessed they'd be on the receiving end of something like this."

First Published: January 25, 2008, 5:00 a.m.