Gunman kills eight in nursing home shooting spree
A lone gunman burst into a US nursing home and started “shooting everything", barging into the rooms of terrified patients, sparing some from his rampage without explanation while killing seven residents and a nurse caring for them.
Authorities in Carthage, North Carolina said Robert Stewart also wounded three others, including the police officer who confronted him in a hallway of Pinelake Health and Rehab and stopped the brutal attack.
“He acted in nothing short of a heroic way today, and but for his actions, we certainly could have had a worse tragedy,” said Moore County District Attorney Maureen Krueger.
“We had an officer, a well-trained officer, who performed his job the way he was supposed to and prevented this from getting even worse than it is now.”
By late yesterday afternoon, Ms Krueger had charged Stewart, 45, of Moore County, with eight counts of first-degree murder and a single charge of felony assault of a law enforcement officer.
Authorities said Stewart began his rampage around 10am local time at Pinelake Health and Rehab in the North Carolina Sandhills about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh, firing shots inside and outside the home.
It ended when 25-year-old Officer Justin Garner traded gunfire with Stewart in a hallway, wounding the suspect.
“He just comes in and just starts shooting everything around,” said Senator Harris Blake, of Moore County, relating the story told by sheriff’s officials.
Mr Garner was wounded in his leg, and police said Stewart wounded two others. One person remained hospitalised last night at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in nearby Pinehurst, and police would only say Stewart was in the custody of the Moore County Sheriff.
