In the quiet of a Thursday morning in Gastonia, North Carolina, a burst of violence shattered the peace on Forbes Road, leaving a community in shock and a family irrevocably broken. On September 10, 2026, police were called to a residence around 8:40 a.m. where they discovered a horrific scene: four individuals had been shot inside the home. Among the deceased was Josiah Moore Bumgardner, a 38-year-old man.
Another victim, 50-year-old Victoria “Heather” Moore, also succumbed to her injuries at the scene. Two other victims were found critically wounded and rushed to CaroMont Regional Medical Center for treatment. The initial investigation suggested that the shooting was not a random act of violence, as police believed all parties involved knew one another.
The investigation quickly identified two suspects who had also lived at the Forbes Road home: 26-year-old Camryn Moore and 29-year-old Cory Armstrong. It was a familial tragedy, as Camryn was the daughter of Victoria Moore and the niece of Josiah Bumgardner. Following the shooting, the pair fled Gastonia, sparking a multi-state manhunt. The U.S. Marshals Service joined the search, and warrants were issued for Moore and Armstrong, charging them with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. The search for the fugitive couple came to a dramatic and fatal end the following day in Ohio.
Tracked across several states, the suspects' vehicle was located by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. When troopers attempted to pull them over, Moore and Armstrong led them on a multi-county chase. The pursuit concluded when their car crashed while trying to evade spike strips. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, officers on the scene reported hearing two gunshots from within the vehicle. A drone was used to safely assess the situation, revealing that both Camryn Moore and Cory Armstrong were dead inside the car. The investigation into the deaths of the suspects was handed over to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The motive for the initial shooting in Gaston County remains unclear, leaving friends and the surviving family members to grapple with the senseless loss of their loved ones. One of the surviving victims was expected to be paralyzed for life as a result of the shooting.
