Deputies: Man, woman found dead in murder-suicide outside Union County home

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Deputies are investigating after a man and woman were found dead outside a home in Union County Sunday. The sheriff’s office said it has determined the case to be an apparent murder-suicide.

Officers responded to a home at around 6 p.m. on Collins Road near Saddlewood Drive in Waxhaw for a domestic disturbance call.

Once deputies got to the scene, they found Erica Thomas, 38, fatally shot in the driveway. Joshua Laney, 41, was also found shot and taken to a local hospital, where he died.

Detectives said a verbal domestic disturbance led to Laney pulling out a rifle and shooting and killing Thomas, then killing himself.

“We’re just we’re just trying to figure out, why did this go from a verbal disturbance to the point where two lives were taken?” said Lt. James Maye.

Investigators learned Thomas and Laney were formerly married. According to deputies, there was an active domestic violence protection order in place against Laney and that all known guns he owned had been seized.

According to detectives, Thomas was picking up their 6-year-old daughter at a relative’s house and that Laney pulled in behind her. He shot her before turning the gun on himself.

“They would’ve never crossed paths. But during this visit, he pulled in right behind her,” Maye said.

Deputies said their daughter did not witness the shooting.

The sheriff’s office is still working to determine how Laney got a gun after they were seized due to the protection order. Laney’s relatives asked that the guns be released back to them and a judge agreed, but deputies said the rifle used in the shooting was not among those weapons.

“Did somebody provide it knowing what he was going to do with it? Did he go into a friend’s house and take it? We are just trying to figure out exactly where that firearm came from, and make sure that this person is either held accountable or able to provide a reason,” Maye said.

The daughter is now with family, and deputies are working with social services to make sure she’s properly cared for as they continue their investigation.

Jessie Lindberg, with the domestic violence shelter Turning Point, believes Thomas took the proper precautions with the court order, though they were still connected through parenthood.

“You still have a child at the center of this relationship and that necessitates interaction between these two people,” she said.

If you or someone you know if in a domestic violence situation, there is a 24-hour crisis hotline -- 980-771-HOPE (4673). There is also the Turning Point crisis line -- 704-283-7233.

911 calls reveal moments before domestic dispute turned deadly in Union County

911 calls reveal moments before domestic dispute turned deadly

911 calls obtained by Channel 9 reveal the moments before the domestic dispute turned into an apparent murder-suicide outside a Union County home.

In one of the calls, a woman who identified herself as Laney’s mother said Laney and his ex-wife were out in the driveway. She heard shots fired and locked herself and her 6-year-old granddaughter in a bedroom.

“I don’t know what is going on out in my driveway. I am OK and so is my granddaughter. I don’t know what happened in my driveway,” the caller can be heard saying.

>> You can hear the full 911 phone calls below.

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