Carthage nursing home shooting
Encyclopedia
The Carthage nursing home shooting was a mass murder
that occurred on March 29, 2009, when a gunman opened fire at the Pinelake Health and Rehab nursing home
in Carthage, North Carolina
. The shooter, 45-year-old Robert Stewart, killed eight people and wounded another two before being shot and apprehended by a responding police officer. Stewart's estranged wife, a nurse at the nursing home and the apparent main target, survived the shooting unharmed, as she was hiding in a bathroom in the Alzheimer ward of the building, which is secured by passcode-protected doors.
Stewart, who is being held in North Carolina’s maximum security Central Prison in Raleigh, was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. On September 3, 2011 he was found guilty of eight counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to 142 years to 179 1/2 years in prison. The defense had argued that Stewart was under the influcene of Ambien during the shooting, leaving him unable to control his actions.
Leaving a .22 caliber rifle atop a Jeep Cherokee, Stewart entered the nursing home armed with a handgun and a shotgun and went down the hall apparently searching for his wife, Wanda Neal, who had been reassigned to the Alzheimer unit that morning. Upon realizing that his wife wasn't where she usually worked he headed to the area for Alzheimer's patients which was secured by passcode-protected doors. As he walked through the hallways of the nursing home, Stewart killed seven residents, two of them in their wheelchairs, while the staff tried to bring the patients to safety. One nurse, Jerry Avant, was also shot and killed when he tried to stop the gunman.
Stewart was finally stopped by officer Garner in the hallway at about 10:05 a.m. After refusing several orders to drop his weapon, Stewart lowered his shotgun and fired a shot at Garner, hitting him in the leg and foot. Garner returned fire and hit the gunman in the shoulder, incapacitating him.
When the shooting was over, six people were dead and five others, including Stewart, were taken to a nearby hospital. Two of the wounded died the same day. In the hospital Stewart told a nurse that he had taken six “nerve pills” and did not remember anything about the shooting.
on September 12, 1963. When he was a young boy, his family moved to Eastwood
in Moore County
. His father was a house painter, and his mother worked at an office of a paving company in Pinebluff
. After finishing middle school in Aberdeen
he attended Pinecrest High School
, but dropped out before graduating. Among his peers Stewart was known as a a quiet loner with a very bad temper every now and then.
At the age of 18, Stewart married for the first time, though his marriage lasted only for a few months. In 1983 he married then 17-year-old Wanda Gay Neal, but this marriage also failed within three years, due to Stewart's extreme possessiveness, his drinking habits and his violent temper. Wanda Neal's mother Margaret Neal later stated: "He had a rage, it would just explode over everything. He would be good and then something would just set him off." However, both Margaret Neal and Wanda Neal's 14-year-old daughter Jamie said that, as far as they knew, Stewart had never hit his wife.
In 1986 Stewart married again, though he still carried a torch for his former wife. According to his third wife, Sue Griffin, Stewart would often compare her to Wanda Neal and complain that "Wanda doesn't do it like that."
Stewart worked as a house painter and had his own painting business, but had filed twice for bankruptcy. He had been out of work for over a year before the shooting, after injuring his back and leg. He served six years in the National Guard and never rose above Private
rank before receiving an honorable discharge. In 1995 he joined the Clay Road Farm Hunt Club in Moore County, where he soon alienated the other members because of his drinking problem and his temper. He was eventually thrown out of the hunting club, after threatening Larry Allred, one of its founders, stating that "he wasn't scared of no damn Allred. He'd cut Larry Allred's guts out and watch."
In 2001, after 15 years of marriage to Sue Griffin, Stewart divorced again and returned to Wanda Neal. Promising her he would change, stop drinking and treat her well they married a second time in June 2002.In the end Stewart wouldn't let his wife go anywhere alone. Wanda Neal finally left her husband three weeks prior to the shooting, after he put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. After his wife had left him, Stewart began calling her family, sometimes at 2 or 3 a.m., claiming there was an emergency and he needed to see Wanda and her parents. He also tried to contact his former wife, Sue Griffin, through her family, telling them that he was suffering from prostate cancer, that he was preparing to “go away” and “was planning on leaving town to visit places he hadn’t seen.” According to Mack Hancock, who had seen him in the last week before the shooting, Stewart seemed very depressed, saying that “everything had gone to hell.”
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
that occurred on March 29, 2009, when a gunman opened fire at the Pinelake Health and Rehab nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Carthage, North Carolina
Carthage, North Carolina
Carthage is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,871 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Moore County.-Geography:Carthage is located at ....
. The shooter, 45-year-old Robert Stewart, killed eight people and wounded another two before being shot and apprehended by a responding police officer. Stewart's estranged wife, a nurse at the nursing home and the apparent main target, survived the shooting unharmed, as she was hiding in a bathroom in the Alzheimer ward of the building, which is secured by passcode-protected doors.
Stewart, who is being held in North Carolina’s maximum security Central Prison in Raleigh, was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder. On September 3, 2011 he was found guilty of eight counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to 142 years to 179 1/2 years in prison. The defense had argued that Stewart was under the influcene of Ambien during the shooting, leaving him unable to control his actions.
Shooting
Robert Stewart, dressed in a bib overall, arrived at the parking lot of the nursing home just before 10:00 a.m., where he shot several times at his wife's car, shattering its windows. He also shot at Michael Lee Cotten, a visitor, in his car, when he pulled into the parking lot, and hit him in the left shoulder. Cotten, who later stated that Stewart was "very calm, very deliberate" when he fired at him, managed to run into the building and warn the people inside of the gunman. Police received the first emergency calls at approximately 10:00 a.m. and the only police officer on duty, Justin Garner, was dispatched to the scene about one minute later.Leaving a .22 caliber rifle atop a Jeep Cherokee, Stewart entered the nursing home armed with a handgun and a shotgun and went down the hall apparently searching for his wife, Wanda Neal, who had been reassigned to the Alzheimer unit that morning. Upon realizing that his wife wasn't where she usually worked he headed to the area for Alzheimer's patients which was secured by passcode-protected doors. As he walked through the hallways of the nursing home, Stewart killed seven residents, two of them in their wheelchairs, while the staff tried to bring the patients to safety. One nurse, Jerry Avant, was also shot and killed when he tried to stop the gunman.
Stewart was finally stopped by officer Garner in the hallway at about 10:05 a.m. After refusing several orders to drop his weapon, Stewart lowered his shotgun and fired a shot at Garner, hitting him in the leg and foot. Garner returned fire and hit the gunman in the shoulder, incapacitating him.
When the shooting was over, six people were dead and five others, including Stewart, were taken to a nearby hospital. Two of the wounded died the same day. In the hospital Stewart told a nurse that he had taken six “nerve pills” and did not remember anything about the shooting.
Victims
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Perpetrator
Robert Kenneth Wayne Stewart was born in Robeson CountyRobeson County, North Carolina
Robeson County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010 it had a population of 134,168. Since then, it has been one of the 10% of United States counties that were majority-minority; its combined population of American Indian, African American and Latino residents comprise over...
on September 12, 1963. When he was a young boy, his family moved to Eastwood
Eastwood
-Places:in Australia*Eastwood, New South Wales**Eastwood railway station*Eastwood, South Australiain Canada*Eastwood, Ontario*Eastwood, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhoodin the Philippines*Eastwood Cityin the UK*Eastwood, Essex, England...
in Moore County
Moore County, North Carolina
Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 74,769. Its county seat is Carthage.- History :The county was formed in 1784 from Cumberland County...
. His father was a house painter, and his mother worked at an office of a paving company in Pinebluff
Pinebluff, North Carolina
Pinebluff is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,109 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pinebluff is located at ....
. After finishing middle school in Aberdeen
Aberdeen, North Carolina
Aberdeen is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,400 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Aberdeen is located at ....
he attended Pinecrest High School
Pinecrest High School
Pinecrest High School is a 4AA high school located in Southern Pines, North Carolina in the United States. It is part of the Moore County School District, and was built in 1969....
, but dropped out before graduating. Among his peers Stewart was known as a a quiet loner with a very bad temper every now and then.
At the age of 18, Stewart married for the first time, though his marriage lasted only for a few months. In 1983 he married then 17-year-old Wanda Gay Neal, but this marriage also failed within three years, due to Stewart's extreme possessiveness, his drinking habits and his violent temper. Wanda Neal's mother Margaret Neal later stated: "He had a rage, it would just explode over everything. He would be good and then something would just set him off." However, both Margaret Neal and Wanda Neal's 14-year-old daughter Jamie said that, as far as they knew, Stewart had never hit his wife.
In 1986 Stewart married again, though he still carried a torch for his former wife. According to his third wife, Sue Griffin, Stewart would often compare her to Wanda Neal and complain that "Wanda doesn't do it like that."
Stewart worked as a house painter and had his own painting business, but had filed twice for bankruptcy. He had been out of work for over a year before the shooting, after injuring his back and leg. He served six years in the National Guard and never rose above Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
rank before receiving an honorable discharge. In 1995 he joined the Clay Road Farm Hunt Club in Moore County, where he soon alienated the other members because of his drinking problem and his temper. He was eventually thrown out of the hunting club, after threatening Larry Allred, one of its founders, stating that "he wasn't scared of no damn Allred. He'd cut Larry Allred's guts out and watch."
In 2001, after 15 years of marriage to Sue Griffin, Stewart divorced again and returned to Wanda Neal. Promising her he would change, stop drinking and treat her well they married a second time in June 2002.In the end Stewart wouldn't let his wife go anywhere alone. Wanda Neal finally left her husband three weeks prior to the shooting, after he put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. After his wife had left him, Stewart began calling her family, sometimes at 2 or 3 a.m., claiming there was an emergency and he needed to see Wanda and her parents. He also tried to contact his former wife, Sue Griffin, through her family, telling them that he was suffering from prostate cancer, that he was preparing to “go away” and “was planning on leaving town to visit places he hadn’t seen.” According to Mack Hancock, who had seen him in the last week before the shooting, Stewart seemed very depressed, saying that “everything had gone to hell.”