Carthage Police Officer Justin Garner is being hailed as a hero, single-handedly putting an end to gunman Robert Stewart's rampage Sunday at Pinelake Health and Rehabilitation Center.

New details of Garner's run-in with the gunman were released at press conference Monday morning. McKenzie said Garner was out on a routine patrol and entered the facility alone. He shot Stewart in the upper chest with his department-issued .40 caliber Glock pistol, and in turn received three pellet wounds, presumably from a shotgun, to the left foot and calf.

McKenzie praised the efforts of Garner in stopping Stewart's rampage Monday, calling what he did "heroic."

"I'm unbelievably proud, not only to be his police chief, but to be a fellow officer," he said. "Whether or not he realizes it now, he will hopefully someday realize how many lives he actually saved."

Garner was the only officer on duty Sunday morning, usually a slow time because most people are at church. When asked by the media why Garner went into the buidling alone, McKenzie said there are cetain situations when "multiple lives are stake" where an officer is trained to do what he can to stop it, even if it means sacrificing his or her life.

"These men and women take an oath to protect lives," he said.

At a 5 p.m. press conference Sunday afternoon, Moore County District Attorney Maureen Krueger identified Robert Stewart, 45, of the "outskirts" of Moore County as the man who walked into Pinelake Health and Rehab around 10 a.m. Sunday and opened fire on patients and staff. Stewart himself was shot and is now in custody of the Moore County Sheriff's Office. He faces eight counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony assault of a police officer. Other charges are pending at this time.

Carthage Police Chief Chris McKenzie said at that press conference that 11 people were shot, eight fatally, "outside and inside the facility." He said this situation was unlike anything he has seen in 20 years in law enforcement, but the faith of the Carthage community would help it overcome this tragedy.

"I don't know the emotion has entirely set in," he said. This is small community built on faith and faith will get us through."

Krueger confirmed that seven elderly patients were among the dead. They are identified as Tessie Garner, 88; Lillian Dunn, 89; Jessie Musser, 88; Bessie Hendrick, 78; John Goldston, 78; Margaret Johnson, 89; and Louise Decker, 98.

A registered nurse who worked at the facility, Jerry Avent, 39, was also killed.

Officer Justin Garner, 25, of the Carthage police was shot in the leg after encountering the gunman in a back hallway inside the facility around 10:15 a.m. Garner was treated at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital and discharged.

New details of Garner's run-in with the gunman were released at press conference Monday morning. McKenzie said Garner was out on a routine patrol and entered the facility alone. He shot Stewart in the upper chest with his department-issued .40 caliber Glock pistol, and in turn received three pellet wounds, presumably from a shotgun, to the left foot and calf.

McKenzie praised the efforts of Garner in stopping Stewart's rampage Monday.

Garner was the only officer on duty Sunday morning, usually a slow time because most people are at church. When asked by the media why Garner went into the buidling alone, McKenzie said there are cetain situations when "multiple lives are stake" where an officer is trained to do what he can to stop it, even if it means sacrificing his or her life.

"These men and women take an oath to protect lives," he said.

Michael Cotten, 53, a visitor at the nursing home, was also injured and transported to Moore Regional Hospital. He has since been released.

Krueger and McKenzie could not offer any other details Sunday because of the continuing investigation, including what weapons were used and what the gunman's motive might have been. Krueger did say that it did not appear that Stewart was related to any of the victims or was a patient or employee at the facility. New details are expected to be made public at a 3 p.m. press conference Monday.

Neither would confirm if those killed died on the scene or at the hospital, but FirstHealth's director of public relations, Gretchen Kelly, confirmed to The Pilot Sunday evening that six victims were taken to Moore Regional Hospital. Two later died.

Three others were treated and released, while one remains at the hospital, she said. She couldn't release any other information and it is unknown if they were included in McKenzie's count.

Pinelake, located on Pinehurst Avenue in Carthage, is a 110-bed facility that specializes in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The road was blocked off for several hours as the Moore County Sheriff's Office, Carthage Police Department, State Bureau of Investigations, and various other agencies canvassed the area.

The road was reopened late Sunday afternoon, but relatives who attempted to visit loved ones at the facility were told to go to First Baptist Church downtown, where a crisis intervention team had been dispatched. Some relatives who spoke with The Pilot said Pinelake would not be reopened to the public until 8 a.m. Monday.

Krueger said that the residents of the facility were "safe," but could not go into detail of what transpired during the shooting.

At about 4:30 p.m. Sunday, after Pinehurst Avenue was reopened, The Pilot witnessed three vehicles being towed away from the facility -- a blue Chrysler PT Cruiser, a black Jeep Cherokee, and a red pick-up truck. Several windows on the PT Cruiser appeared to be shot out by gunfire.

Law enforcement officers were also spotted carrying what appeared to be a rifle to one of their cars.

Stunned family members gathered outside of the Moore County Courthouse and at First Baptist Church next door on the windy Sunday afternoon trying to obtain more information on the tragedy. Several people could been seen crying, with looks of disbelief etched on their faces. Others pressed law enforcement officials for answers.

Judy Collins, whose brother is a patient at Pinelake but was unharmed, said that there was "a lot of crying and praying" going on.

Her daughter, Ann Holder, said she was anxious to speak to her uncle. Like so many, she couldn't make sense of what happened.

"It's just such a tragedy," she said.

The shootings have rocked the otherwise quiet community to its core.

Foy Jean Wall was sitting in First Baptist Church this morning when the pastor announced that something had occurred at Pinelake.

"I was sitting there and didn't know what to think," she said. "You're just spellbound when you hear something like that."

Wall, a lifelong resident of Carthage, and the rest of the congregation had been told that a shooting had taken place at Pinelake. She said she went home and cried after the service was over. She said she had never experienced anything like this.

"I'll soon be 78 years old," she said, "and I've never heard of anything like that happening around here. This is just devastating.

"I've been through some hard times and I've seen sad times, but this is just devastating."

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Contact John Krahnert III at 693-2473 or by e-mail at jkrahnert@thepilot.com.