'She was not with us anymore': Husband of Raleigh shooting victim mourns loss of wife

Tracey Howard is the husband of the late Nicole Connors, who was among the five people killed. The couple was married five years.

“She was fun-loving,” Howard said. “A firecracker at sometimes.

“She would tell you what’s on her mind.”

Who are the Raleigh mass shooting victims?

Howard recalled what happened on Oct. 13 when he got back to the house after running errands.

“I pulled in the driveway [and saw] a body leaning on [the] driveway near the porch,” Howard said. “I didn’t know it was [Marcille ‘Lynn’ Gardner] at first.”

Gardner, who was a walking friend of Connors, is a special education teacher. Gardner just turned 60.

“I got the porch [and saw] Nicole,” Howard recalled. “[I] could see it in her eyes [that] she was not with us anymore.

“[I saw] she wasn’t with us anymore. [I] saw Sammy laying there at her feet, crying. I was in shock. [I] couldn’t do anything. [I] wish I could have done CPR or something.”

Howard said Connors was shot in the face, neck and stomach. Connors worked as an HR specialist.

Connors loved dogs. She died alongside her Jack Russell mix, Sammy, Howard said. He found them together lying on the porch.

Sammy was 13.

"I miss her finger nails clipping on hardwood floor," Howard said. "I miss her begging for treats."

Howard said his home is eerily quiet without his late wife and Sammy.

"I still can't sit still," Howard said. "I can't eat."

“I can’t get [it] out of my mind, the sight of it out of my mind,” Howard said.

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On Monday, the families of the shooting victims said they have not heard any new updates from Raleigh police. An update is expected on Thursday when the department's five-day report is due out.