In the early hours of a Monday morning in Shoemakersville, Pennsylvania, a distressing 911 call marked the tragic end for 50-year-old Carol A. Zimmerman. On March 20, 2017, authorities received a call from Zimmerman at approximately 1:07 a.m. from the 200 block of Fourth Street, in which she stated, 'Garry shot me'. Police later found her deceased behind the residence.
The man she identified as her shooter, 61-year-old Garry Maurer, was subsequently found dead in his own home on the 400
block of Chestnut Street, a short distance of about 50 yards away. Maurer's death was the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in what investigators determined to be a murder-suicide. At the time of the incident, a motive for the tragic events had not been released by authorities.
Carol, a resident of Centre Township, was born in Reading to Russell L. and Shirley J. Smith. She was a 1985 graduate of Schuylkill Valley High School and worked as a claims processor for Central PA Teamsters Health & Welfare Fund Local 429 in Wyomissing. She had been married to her husband, Kevin S. Zimmerman, for 23 years. Described as a loving and giving person who always thought of others before herself, she was an active member of the Leesport Fire Company and enjoyed watching NASCAR and playing Words with Friends.
