The Old Salisbury Road Murders
After exhibiting unstable behavior for a few weeks, and following police reports of concern over his behavior, Michael Hayes shot nine passersby from the centerline of the darkened road in front of his parents moped shop on the night of July 17, 1988. Four of those who were shot, Crystal Cantrell, Tom Nicholson, Melinda Hayes and Ronnie Hull, died. Complicating matters, the moped shop sat near the Forsyth and Davidson County lines, leading to confusion as to which law enforcement agency had jurisdiction.
Hayes later "explained" his actions by claiming that he believed the passersby were demons that needed to be killed.
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Famous quotes containing the words road and/or murders:
“Telephone poles were matchsticks, put there to be snapped off at a whim. Dogs trotting across the road were suddenly big trucks. Old ladies turned into moving—vans. Everything was too bright, but very funny and made for my delight. And about half a mile from my long liquid breakfast I turned carefully down a side street and parked, and sat beaming happily through the tannic fog for about an hour, remembering how witty we all had been, how handsome and talented ... [ellipsis in original]”
—M.F.K. Fisher (1908–1992)
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—Joan Didion (b. 1935)