Nursing Home Shooting Tribute

When Michael Cotten pulled into Pinelake Health and Rehab on Sunday to see his aunt, a big man in overalls fired a shotgun at him before he could even park.

The blast Cotten described was apparently the first in a shooting rampage that left seven elderly residents and one staff member dead, Cotten and two others wounded, and the suspected gunman in custody and hospitalized, police said.

The shootings took place at about 10 a.m. at the facility, located at 801 Pinehurt Ave. in Carthage, N.C., about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh.

"As I was pulling into the parking lot, he started shooting my vehicle before I came to a stop," said Cotten, 53, a food-bank outreach coordinator and retired corrections assistant superintendent.

Police identified the suspect as Robert Stewart, 45, of Moore County, N.C., who faces eight counts of first-degree murder.

District Attorney Maureen Krueger identified the dead as: Tessie Garner, 88; Lillian Dunn, 89; Jesse Musser, 88; John Goldston, 78; Margaret Johnson, 89; Louise Decker, 98; Bessie Hendrick, 78; and Jerry Avent, age not given.

Stewart’s estranged wife, Wanda Luck, worked as a certified nurse assistant at the nursing home, according to Mark Barnett, a neighbor of Wanda’s parents. Barnett said she was working at the facility at the time of the shooting on Sunday. She was not listed as one of the victims in the shooting.

"This is a tragedy beyond comprehension for Moore County," said State Sen. Harris Blake, who represents the area.