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Description
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Robert Kenneth Stewart — Carthage Nursing Home Mass Murder (2009)

Overview

On the morning of March 29, 2009, 45-year-old Robert Kenneth Stewart entered Pinelake Health and Rehabilitation in Carthage, North Carolina, and opened fire, killing eight people (seven elderly residents and a nurse) and wounding others before he was shot and subdued by police. The attack unfolded within minutes, making it one of the deadliest mass shootings in North Carolina history.

Timeline (March 29, 2009)

  • ~10:00 a.m. — Stewart arrives at Pinelake Health and Rehabilitation and begins shooting; first emergency calls are received.
  • He moves through hallways and resident rooms, firing a shotgun and handguns while staff attempt to shelter patients.
  • Within approximately five minutes, seven residents and one nurse are fatally shot; several others are injured.
  • ~10:05 a.m. — Carthage police Cpl. Justin Garner confronts Stewart in a hallway; Garner is struck by shotgun pellets in the leg and returns fire, hitting Stewart in the chest and ending the rampage.

Victims (Killed)

  • Jerry Avant Jr., 39 — Nurse who attempted to stop the gunman.
  • Louise DeKler, 98 — Resident.
  • Lillian Dunn, 89 — Resident.
  • Tessie Garner, 75 — Resident.
  • John Walter Goldston, 78 — Resident.
  • Bessie Hedrick, 78 — Resident.
  • Margaret Johnson, 89 — Resident.
  • Jesse Vernon Musser, 88 — Resident.
...Read More
Killer's Details

Stewart

Robert

3/29/2009

10:00 AM

801

Pinehurst Ave

Carthage

NC

Moore County

28327

35.33332

-79.414716

Nursing home

45

Yes

4 Firearms

holsters

08/16/2025


Location: