FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Statesville Police Department has released the names of the two women who were killed in the Larkin community as well as the identity of the man who killed them before committing suicide.

Nicholas Goolsby, 39, fatally wounded his wife, 36-year-old Brandi Delia Goolsby, and their roommate, 26-year-old Simone Octavia Williams, before killing himself, according to an SPD news release.

Officers responded a call reporting a shooting incident in the 100 block of Bunker Hill Lane about 7:19 a.m.  on Friday, May 24.

Arriving officers found Williams, who was deceased, on the front porch of the caller’s residence with an apparent gunshot wound, police said.

Witnesses identified the shooter as Nicholas Goolsby, and reported that he had retreated to his residence after shooting Williams, according to the news release.

Officers then established a perimeter around the Goolsby home, and the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene with their armored vehicle. Entry was made to the residence, and the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force began a search using a robot.

A 10-month-old child was found on the first floor of the residence. Members of the SPD Special Response Team entered the residence and safely removed the child. The child, who was initially taken to a local hospital for evaluation, has been released to the custody of family members. 

The bodies of Brandi Goolsby and Nicholas Goolsby were found upstairs, police said. Evidence from the scene indicates that Nicholas Goolsby shot Brandi Goolsby before taking his own life, according to the news release.

The SPD expressed its gratitude to the U.S. Marshals Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, N.C. Highway Patrol, and the Rowan County Sheriff’ Office for their assistance.