3 dead in apparent murder-suicide, Statesville police say – WSOC TV

Statesville police said they are not looking for any suspects in this case and the area has been secured. The Chopper 9 Skyzoom video showed a scene spread across several houses.

Neighbor Larry McCorkle told Channel 9's Dave Faherty that he woke up Friday morning to one of the victims knocking on his door. He said the shooter followed her and shot her outside the door.

McCorkle worked in law enforcement for years in Catawba and Burke counties, but never thought he would see this kind of crime on his doorstep.

“By the time I got to the door, my wife was opening the door and I could hear her screaming, 'Please don't do this, please don't do this.' And then I could hear two gunshots and see the suspect running across the yard,” he told Faherty.

McCorkle said the woman who knocked on his door died. He said she lived with one of his neighbors, a man who McCorkle said went home and killed himself. The neighbor's wife was also found dead inside that house.

Police said their 10-month-old baby was inside the home at the time of the shooting but was not injured.

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The identities of the three deceased people have not yet been released.

The Statesville Police Department continues to investigate the case and said it cannot provide more information at this time. They offered their condolences to the families involved in this case.

“We ask for the community’s patience and cooperation as we continue our investigation.” Our thoughts are with the families affected by this tragedy,” police said in a statement.

Sue Noble lives just across the street and had previously visited the family.

“I went to introduce myself and he was very friendly, very nice,” she said. “All over his little girl, he loved her to death. I waved when I waved. This makes absolutely no sense.

McCorkle is grateful that the baby is okay and that his wife wasn't hurt opening the door, but he doesn't understand why this happened.

“He seemed like a really nice, down-to-earth guy. I mean level-headed, worked every day,” he said. “And for me, it’s totally unusual for me to know him.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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