Asheville mother, 2 of her children killed, allegedly by her boyfriend

A man fatally shot his girlfriend and five of her children, killing her and two of them, at her West Asheville home before he turned the gun on himself, authorities said Thursday.

The shooting occurred at a home at 73 Hansel Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Asheville Police Chief Tammy Hooper said during a news conference.

Authorities said Erica Nichelle Smith, 32, who lived at the residence, was pronounced dead at the scene, while her two children, a 15-year-old boy, and a 13-year-old girl, were rushed for medical treatment to Mission Hospital, where they later died.

Smith's 10-year-old son called 911. He and two others, ages 8 and 12, were injured but expected to recover.

Police identified the shooter as Maurice Laron Garner, 35, and said he was found in a vehicle nearby. Information from the 10-year-old led police quickly to the shooter.

An Asheville City Schools spokeswoman said one of the dead attended Asheville Middle School and another attended Asheville High School. The remaining three injured children were younger. Two were elementary age and another was in middle school, the spokeswoman said.

Hooper said Garner and Smith had argued at Mission Hospital, which is where she worked, before the shooting occurred.

Police did not immediately say what the couple had been arguing about.