A North Carolina mother of six was fatally shot while she slept as her children and mother watched TV in the home.
Latasha Cureton, 39, was killed late Monday evening during a drive-by shooting in which an attacker allegedly sprayed the Gastonia, N.C., home with bullets as the victim slept inside and her children watched a movie with her mother, the Gaston Gazette, WSOC TV and WCCB Charlotte reported.
Witnesses, including Cureton’s mother and children, said they thought they were hearing fireworks before realizing it was a shooting.
“It was like being like an explosion,” Cureton’s daughter, who is not named in the report, told Queen City News.
“We thought it was a loud bang like something fell in the kitchen all of a sudden, it was multiple bangs like fireworks, but then it got louder and louder,” the daughter said, per the outlet. “We ran and took cover and covered up the babies.”
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Cureton’s son found her in the front bedroom after she screamed “I’m hit,” the victim’s sister said.
“Then, her son saw her bleeding from her mouth,” her sister, who is also not named in the report, told WCCB Charlotte.
“Realized she had been shot, but at that point, it was too late,” Cureton’s daughter said, according to WCNC Charlotte. “Losing your mom is just something you cannot — I don’t see how people get over that.”
The family shared photos of a bullet-ridden door of the home with several outlets; one photo, published by WCNC Charlotte, shows a light switch with a bullet hole.
Family and friends estimated there were anywhere between 30 to 40 bullet holes, per the Gaston Gazette and WCCB Charlotte.
There were 13 holes on the door alone, WSOC TV reported.
Police: Mother shot, killed Monday night in Gastonia
Cureton was planning her wedding at the time of her death, her friend Sydney Weave told Queen City News.
In a GoFundMe set up to help her family with impending financial challenges, Latasha (sometimes referred to as Tasha) is being remembered as a “beloved mother, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, and friend.”
“She was deeply cherished, and brought so much love and light into our lives,” reads a part of the GoFundMe. “She will be missed by all who knew her.”
Cureton’s mother says she lives on social security, which will make it challenging for her to raise the kids on her own.
“I don’t know how we are going to make it,” the mother, Rosalie Hardy, told WSOC TV.
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In addition to the financial strain she is facing, Hardy is struggling with the aftermath of the violence, according to WSOC TV. She avoids going into the room where Cureton died, she told the outlet.
“I don’t want to say goodbye, but now I know I have to,” Hardy said.
Cureton’s family hopes the shooter will come forward, per WCNC and Queen City News.
No arrests had been made as of Friday, June 14. Gastonia Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for an update.
An investigation is ongoing. Gastonia Police are requesting anyone with information to call Crimestoppers of Gaston County at 704-861-8000.
