COLUMBUS, OH — Two suspects wanted in a deadly shooting in Gaston County, North Carolina, were found dead in Ohio Friday morning after a police pursuit that ended in a crash, authorities said.
Gaston County police said the case began Thursday morning at a home on Forbes Road, where officers responding to a report of gunfire found four people with gunshot wounds. Two of the victims died at the scene, and the other two were taken to CaroMont Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
Police later identified the dead victims as 50-year-old Victoria “Heather” Moore and 38-year-old Megan “Josiah” Moore. The two people accused in the shooting were identified as 26-year-old Camryn Moore and 29-year-old Cory Armstrong.
Investigators said the suspects fled the county right after the shooting
Detectives said Moore and Armstrong also lived at the Forbes Road address. Investigators determined the pair left Gaston County immediately after the shooting, which set off a multi-agency search that stretched beyond North Carolina.
Gaston County police brought in the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force to help locate the two suspects. Detectives also obtained arrest warrants charging both men with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
The agency said the investigation moved quickly once the suspects disappeared. Authorities said they followed their trail across state lines overnight as they worked to catch up with the vehicle believed to be carrying them.
Ohio officers spotted the black Mercedes-Benz in Athens County
Friday morning, Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers located the suspects’ black Mercedes-Benz in Athens County. Officers with the Athens Police Department then tried to stop the vehicle, according to Ohio authorities.
Instead of pulling over, the car led officers on a pursuit that lasted more than 20 minutes and crossed multiple counties. Troopers also deployed spike strips in the roadway in an effort to slow the vehicle and bring the chase to an end.
Authorities said the suspects tried to avoid the strips, but the car ultimately crashed. The sequence turned what began as a traffic stop into a fast-moving law enforcement response across southeastern Ohio.
Gunshots were heard after the crash, officials said
After the wreck, officers reported hearing two gunshots from inside the vehicle. Police then used a drone to observe the car before confirming that both Moore and Armstrong were dead.
Authorities said both men had gunshot wounds. No additional details were immediately released Friday about when the wounds were inflicted or what happened inside the vehicle after the crash.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said it expected to release more information later Friday as investigators continued to piece together the final moments of the pursuit.
The North Carolina victims remain in critical but stable condition
Back in Gaston County, the two surviving shooting victims were reported to be in critical but stable condition at CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Police did not immediately identify those victims.
Authorities said the shooting at the Forbes Road home left a family and community facing a sudden and violent loss. The two deaths at the scene, followed by the discovery of the suspects in Ohio, linked the investigation across two states.
Gaston County police said they will continue their work on the case even though the immediate search for the suspects has ended. The department said its thoughts are with the victims, their families and others affected by the shooting.
Both states are still investigating what happened before and after the chase
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is expected to provide more details about the pursuit and the deaths after its review progresses. Athens County officers and Athens Police also played a role in the traffic stop and chase response.
In North Carolina, detectives are still working to build the case around the original shooting and the deaths of Victoria “Heather” Moore and Megan “Josiah” Moore. Police have not said publicly what led to the shooting inside the Forbes Road home.
For now, officials in both states are treating the events as linked parts of one larger investigation, starting with the shooting in Gaston County and ending with the crash in Ohio.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
