Accused killers vanish after family massacre before manhunt ends hundreds of miles away
A deadly shooting inside a North Carolina family home triggered an urgent search for two accused killers and an interstate manhunt that would end with another burst of gunfire.
Gaston County Police officers responded to a home on Forbes Road at approximately 8:43 a.m. Thursday after receiving a report of gunfire inside the residence.
Officers discovered four people suffering from gunshot wounds. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others were rushed to CaroMont Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
Police identified the two people killed as Victoria "Heather" Moore, 50, and Megan "Josiah" Bumgardner, 38. The two surviving victims remained in critical but stable condition Friday, according to police.
4 SHOT INSIDE NORTH CAROLINA HOME, 2 KILLED AS POLICE IDENTIFY PERSON OF INTEREST
Detectives identified two residents of the home, Camryn Moore, 26, and Cory Armstrong, 29, as suspects in the bloodshed. WSOC-TV reported that Heather Moore was Camryn Moore’s mother and Bumgardner was her uncle.
Police said they believed everyone involved knew one another and described the shooting as an isolated incident with no continuing threat to the Gaston County community.
Investigators have not disclosed what may have triggered the violence.
Camryn Moore and Armstrong allegedly fled Gaston County immediately after the shooting. By Thursday afternoon, detectives had obtained warrants charging each of them with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
WATCH: DEPUTIES HUNT WANTED MAN THROUGH CORNFIELD AFTER HIGH-SPEED CHASE CAUGHT ON CAMERA
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.
SUSPECTED DUI DRIVER LEADS COPS ON WILD CHASE BEFORE DRAMATIC TAKEDOWN ON POPULAR CALIFORNIA BEACH
"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.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Gaston County Police Department and Ohio State Highway Patrol for additional information.