7 residents, 1 nurse die in N.C. nursing home shooting
CARTHAGE, N.C. A gunman opening fire at a Moore County nursing home earlier today killed eight people, including seven elderly residents, and wounded three others, police said at an afternoon press conference.
The shootings, during which a suspect was also wounded, took place at about 10 a.m. at the Pinelake Health and Rehab facility at 801 Pinehurst Ave. in Carthage, about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh.
Of the dead, seven were residents and one was an employee, police said.
District Attorney General Maureen Krueger identified the dead as: Tessie Garner, 88 Lillian Dunn, 89 Jessie Musser, 88 John Goldston, 78 Margaret Johnson, 89 Louise Decker, 98 Bessie Hendrick, 78 Jerry Avent, age not given.
Avent was an employee of the home. A visitor, Michael Cotton, 53, was shot but survived.
Police identified the suspect as Robert Stewart, 45, of Moore County, and said that he has been taken into custody.
"This is a tragedy beyond comprehension for Moore County," said State Sen. Harris Blake, who represents the area.
Blake said there was a lot of concern about security at the Moore County hospital when the injured, alleged assailant was taken there so Stewart was being transported to a hospital in Wake County.
"I was told he would be moved to Wake County," Blake said. "He is going to have to have some surgery. Apparently, he got hit with some bullets."
A Carthage police officer, Justin Garner, 25, was shot in the leg during the incident, but he was treated and released. Law enforcement officials declined to give details of the shootings. Earlier today, hospital and emergency officials said victims were taken to Moore Regional Hospital in Carthage.
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