Former Army captain charged with fatally shooting two neighbors, dog in North Carolina
A former Army captain could face the death penalty after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the fatal shootings of two neighbors.
Police in Apex, North Carolina said they arrested Harry Hardman, 37, after he allegedly shot and killed 69-year-old Nancy Taylor and 37-year-old Gabrielle Raymond on Monday.
In a press release, Apex Police Chief Jason Armstrong said Hardman, Taylor, and Raymond lived in the South Walk Townhomes. At around 3 p.m. on Monday, police got a call because Hardman was outside in the neighborhood being loud and "causing a disturbance."
Police said Taylor went up to Hardman and began speaking with him, but police don't yet know what the conversation was about. Raymond then joined in the conversation.
Hardman then pulled out a gun and shot both Taylor and Raymond. Police said they did not receive any reports that Hardman had a gun before the shooting.
"After the shots were fired, we received multiple calls from the neighborhood about shots being fired. Since officers were already enroute to this location they arrived on scene very quickly and saw the suspect retreating inside his residence," the press release said.
Officers then set up a perimeter around Hardman's home and saw him leaving his house with AR-15 rifle. He was arrested without incident.
“Police were on the way here from a disturbance. And then on the way here, they got shots fired. And then that was it,” Peter Connerton, who lives in the neighborhood told CBS17. “I was shocked. I mean, I was — my wife was traumatized.
Multiple guns found in home
Police obtained a search warrant for Hardman’s residence and found multiple handguns. Police believe Hardman used a handgun in his neighbor's shooting and not the AR-15 he was seen leaving his house with.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the victims, their families and loved ones, and the entire community that has been impacted by this tragic event," Armstrong said in the press release.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing and police encouraged anyone with information to reach out to them.
Local outlet WDTV reported that Hardman had his first appearance at the Wake County Justice Center on Tuesday. If he's convicted on the two counts of attempted murder he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors could also go for the death penalty, but it's unclear at this point if they will, WDTV reported.
Hardman, a former army captain and West Point graduate, who served from 2009 until 2017, asked for a court-appointed defender during his court appearance, WDTV reported.
He was also charged with animal cruelty for fatally shooting his dog on Monday.
It's unclear what prompted the shooting but local outlet WRAL reported Hardman can be heard saying “kill every MIT graduate,” and "kill every West Point graduate," in a video of the incident taken by a neighbor at 2:56 p.m. on Monday.
Hardman is being held at the Wake County Jail without bond and is scheduled to reappear in court on Feb. 5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Army veteran Harry Hardman fatally shot two neighbors, dog, police say
