Tessie Garner, 75, was one of eight people killed in the mass shooting at Pinelake Health and Rehab Center in Carthage, North Carolina, on March 29, 2009. The shooter, Robert Kenneth Stewart, entered the nursing home and killed seven residents and a nurse before Carthage police officer Justin Garner shot Stewart in the upper chest and took him into custody.

Stewart was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony assault on a law enforcement officer. His defense said he had been in a zombie-like, sleepwalking state after taking prescription drugs including Ambien, but he was convicted and sentenced to 126–157 years in prison. Tessie Garner, a former poultry farmer and resident of the facility, was remembered at a funeral at Smyrna Methodist Church and was survived by three daughters, two sisters, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Does anyone have memories of Tessie or information about the nursing home community that could add context to what happened that day?