Accused Killers Flee After Family Massacre as Manhunt Spreads Hundreds of Miles

A fatal shooting at a North Carolina family home prompted an urgent search for two accused killers and an interstate manhunt that later ended in another exchange of gunfire.

Gaston County police arrived at a home on Forbes Road at about 8:43 a.m. Thursday after receiving a report of shots fired inside the residence.

Officers found four people with gunshot wounds. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while the other two were taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

Police identified the victims who died as Victoria “Heather” Moore, 50, and Megan “Josiah” Bumgardner, 38. The two surviving victims were listed in critical but stable condition Friday, authorities said.

Investigators named two residents, Camryn Moore, 26, and Cory Armstrong, 29, as suspects in the shooting. WSOC-TV reported that Heather Moore was Camryn Moore’s mother and that Bumgardner was her uncle.

Police said the people involved appeared to know one another and characterized the shooting as an isolated incident. Authorities said there was no ongoing threat to the Gaston County community.

Investigators have not said what led to the violence.

Camryn Moore and Armstrong allegedly left Gaston County shortly after the shooting. By Thursday afternoon, detectives had secured warrants charging both suspects with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

The Gaston County Police Department enlisted the help of the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force as investigators tracked the pair’s movements across multiple states overnight.

The search reached Ohio at approximately 8 a.m. Friday, when state troopers spotted the suspects’ vehicle outside Athens and attempted to pull it over, authorities said.

Moore and Armstrong allegedly refused to stop, setting off a multi-county pursuit.

The chase came to a violent end when their vehicle swerved to avoid spike strips deployed in the roadway and crashed, according to information provided to North Carolina investigators by Ohio authorities.

Officers then reported hearing two gunshots coming from the wrecked vehicle.

Law enforcement deployed a drone to look inside and discovered Moore and Armstrong dead. Authorities have not disclosed who fired the shots or officially announced the manner of their deaths.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the pursuit, crash and deaths.

Back in Gastonia, neighbors were stunned by the violence that shattered their normally peaceful street.

Loretta Forbes, whose husband’s grandfather built her home in 1914 and gave Forbes Road its name, told WSOC-TV that she knew the family living next door.

“I just kept saying, ‘My God. Oh God,’ coming down the stairs,” Forbes told the outlet. “They seem to be very nice people. It just shakes you up to think that could happen so close by.”

Forbes said she was praying for the family and searching for answers.

“I want to know what’s happened,” she said. “I want to know about the family.”

Jennifer Greene, a friend and co-worker of Heather Moore, drove to the home after Moore unexpectedly failed to report for her shift.

“This was a tragic act of violence that resulted in the loss of multiple lives and left others critically injured,” the Gaston County Police Department said.

“Although the search for the suspects has ended, our investigation has not,” police added.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Detective G. Lancaster at 704-866-3320 or CrimeStoppers at 704-861-8000.

News Outlet reached out to the Gaston County Police Department and Ohio State Highway Patrol for additional information.