North Carolina Woman Gets Shot, Plays Dead As Three Others Die In Shooting

A 69-year-old woman from North Carolina survived after getting shot in the torso by playing dead while the killer murdered three other people in her home. Hazel Epps called 911 around 1:30 a.m. Sunday (February 23), after a friend came into her house and started shooting.

Epps managed to call 911 and told the dispatchers she had been shot and was able to identify the suspect as Taurean Johnson, 36.

"Somebody came in my house and shot everybody here, including me," Epps told the 911 dispatcher. "But, I believe everybody is dead except me."

When officers arrived, they discovered a grisly scene where they found the bodies of Catrice Lacole Murchison, 30, Ronnie Lebert Kelly, 27, and Guy Lennon Barden, Jr., 60. Epps was taken to the hospital where she was treated and released.

Johnson turned himself in later in the day and has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. He was denied bond is being held in jail until his next court hearing, which is scheduled for March 16.

Police confirmed that Johnson was a friend of the family but did not say why he wanted to kill them.

Photo: Bladen County Sheriff's Office


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