20-Year-Old Survivor Used Her Nose to Call for Help After Gastonia Shooting Left Her Unable to Move Her Arms

Autumn Setola has undergone at least two surgeries following a deadly shooting in Gastonia.GoFundMe

A 20-year-old North Carolina woman critically wounded during a shooting inside her Gastonia home managed to make a crucial phone call despite being unable to use her arms — using the tip of her nose to reach her boyfriend.

Autumn Setola was seriously injured Thursday morning during an incident at the Forbes Road home she shared with other family members. Her stepbrother, Keaton, was also wounded, while Victoria “Heather” Moore, 50, and Josiah Bumgardner, 38, were found dead at the scene.

Authorities identified Cory Armstrong, 29, and Camryn Moore, 26, as the suspects. The pair later fled North Carolina, setting off a multistate search that ended in Ohio.

Setola survived and, as of Tuesday, remained in critical but stable condition while undergoing multiple surgeries.

A Phone Call Made With Her Nose

Camryn Moore and her mother Victoria “Heather” Moore, of North Carolina, are seen in an undated social media photo.Facebook/Heather Moore

One of the most striking details to emerge from the case is how Setola managed to summon help after she was wounded.

According to Monica Shelley-Henson, the mother of Setola’s boyfriend, Jacob “Jake” Henson, Setola could not move her arms. Despite her condition, she was able to reach her phone and operate it with her nose.

She called Henson.

“I’ve been shot by Cory,” Setola told him, according to Henson’s account.

The call immediately sent him racing toward the house.

“I ran. I had no shoes on. My shirt is backwards,” Henson recalled.

He jumped into his vehicle and headed for the Forbes Road property while simultaneously contacting 911.

Henson said he had no idea what he was about to encounter or how badly Setola had been hurt.

“I was freaking out. Please let her live. I didn’t know how bad it was,” he said.

By the time he arrived, emergency crews were already surrounding the property.

Two Survivors Rushed to Hospital

Four people were found shot inside a Gaston Couty house on Thursday morning.Channel 9

Setola and her stepbrother Keaton were transported to CaroMont Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

Setola had been wounded twice and remained in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday, according to Shelley-Henson, who said the 20-year-old had been undergoing repeated surgeries.

Those close to Setola described her as fiercely independent and resilient.

“She is independent. She is strong. … She’s a very kind girl,” Shelley-Henson said, adding that Setola is someone who “will meet you where you are.”

A fundraiser organized to support the Moore Setola family also states that both Autumn and Keaton remained in critical condition following the September 10 incident. The campaign was established to assist with their medical expenses as well as funeral costs and the family’s daily needs.

Two Family Members Found Dead Inside the Home

The incident left two other members of the household dead.

Emergency responders found Victoria “Heather” Moore, 50, and Josiah Bumgardner, 38, at the property. Moore was Camryn Moore’s mother, while Bumgardner was her uncle.

Family members said Bumgardner had previously transitioned and was identifying as male.

The family fundraiser identifies the two deceased relatives as Heather Moore and her brother Joe Bumgarner, while confirming that Heather’s son Keaton and Scott Setola’s daughter Autumn were critically wounded.

Friends organizing the fundraiser described the household as a close blended family whose home had often been filled with game nights, music and outdoor movie gatherings.

They remembered Heather as someone deeply devoted to her family and said the surviving relatives now face both grief and significant medical and financial burdens.

Suspects Fled North Carolina

Investigators allege Armstrong and Camryn Moore left the area after the Gastonia incident and traveled across state lines.

Their flight triggered a manhunt that eventually reached southern Ohio.

The search ended Friday following a police pursuit, when both suspects died from gunshot wounds. North Carolina authorities said the deaths were being investigated as a possible double suicide, although Ohio State Highway Patrol had not confirmed that determination at the time of the report.

The circumstances surrounding the Gastonia shooting remain under investigation.

Authorities have not publicly established what allegedly triggered the incident or provided a confirmed motive.

For Setola’s family, however, the focus has shifted toward her recovery.

She survived the initial attack, managed to contact the person who could bring help despite being unable to use her arms, and was still fighting through a series of surgeries days later.

That extraordinary phone call — made with the tip of her nose when she had few other options — became a critical link between what was unfolding inside the house and the emergency response that followed.