HICKORY, N.C. — The family of a mother of four killed at a Hickory motel Friday night is grieving her loss.
Mary Irvin was shot and killed at the Deluxe Inn along Highway 70 on the Fourth of July, police said.
Several workers said Irvin was not a guest at the motel. They say she was visiting the motel when the shooting happened inside one of the rooms.
When the workers heard the shots, they said they raced to try and save her.
Irvin’s sister, Tammy Johnson, told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty that she went to the Deluxe Inn shortly after the incident trying to find out why someone would kill the 30-year-old mother.
“My sister didn’t deserve this,” she said. “And if you know what happened, please call the police and tell them.”
Michelle Greene works at the motel and says she knew Mary Irvin well. When she learned she had been shot, she went to the room and began CPR until help could arrive.
Greene says Irvin was visiting another guest but had stayed at the motel in the past.
“Mary was a very caring person,” Greene said. “She would always give to people who needed, and she was always thankful to anyone who would help her.”
Police have identified James Houser as a suspect in the shooting, though he remains at large.
Investigators are unsure of the motive behind the shooting and have not determined if Houser knew Irvin.
Tammy Johnson, who is raising two of Irvin’s four children, expressed the family’s hope for justice.
“No matter what life she lived and what her purpose was it wasn’t to die violent,” Johnson said. “Nobody should die violent.”
Channel 9 is following this story closely. So far, no arrests have been made in the case. Investigators can’t say if Houser is still in the area or has left Catawba County.
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