Mary Marshall: Navy vet, 34, killed in Raleigh shooting while walking dog was to get married in 2 weeks
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: One of the victims killed in the Raleigh mass shooting was a young bride-to-be. The heartbroken family of Mary Marshall, who was killed in the crossfire while walking her dog on Thursday's killing rampage will now turn her wedding day into a celebration of life ceremony. Police have identified the suspect, a 15-year-old juvenile, Austin Thompson as the alleged Raleigh shooter, who was later apprehended but remains in critical condition following the deadly ordeal.
Five people are dead and two others are critically injured in a mass shooting on October 13. Austin Thompson gunned down Susan Karnatz, 49, Nicole Conners, 52, Mary Marshall, 35, an off-duty police officer Gabriel Torres, 29, and his elder brother of the suspect James Thompson, 16 in a residential area, northeast of downtown Raleigh. The two victims that barely survived are Marcille Gardner, 59, who is fighting for her life, and police officer Casey Clark, 33, who has since been released from the hospital.
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Who was Mary Marshall?
Marshall was a Navy veteran and was also 10 days shy of her 35th birthday. Her devasted fiance Robert Stelle paid tribute to her loving memory on Facebook and said she was killed by a cowardly individual. "The love of my life, Mary Marshall, was killed last night by a cowardly individual. She was shot while walking our dog. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. My world has been completely destroyed…," he wrote on Facebook. Marshall's sister Meaghan McCrickard said, "Her fiancé Rob, he was just the love of her life." "I think we’re going to still do a celebration of life, that’s the plan, for the date of the wedding,” she told NBC news.
She described her sister who is three years younger than her as “the most amazing, wonderful person" and "my best friend." McCrickard said the family is left "numb" and in "disbelief" and her parents are "crushed." Neighbor Sherron McDonald, "She was really nice, always pleasant. Whenever we got packages when we weren't at home, she would put them in our house and leave a note on the door. Go above, you know?" said of Marshall to 11abc. "As a family we simply want to tell everyone how much of a joy and light Mary was. The most loyal and caring person," her family said in a statement. "She was one of the funniest people you’d ever meet. She was so excited to get married at the end of the month to Rob, the love of her life and best friend."
"She had called her fiancé Rob and said, 'I’m walking the dog, I’m hearing these gunshots, can you come home?' And that was the last conversation that they had had,” McCrickard said. The grieving family has pleaded to the local, state and national politicians "to finally step up and do something about gun control." "Being a leader is about leading and making decisions that benefit, support and keep our country safe. How many times do we have to hear our leaders say 'we’re sorry' and 'something must be done,'" the family said. "We demand action."