Police: Man Broke Through Door, Raped Gastonia Woman

Police said a Gastonia woman was attacked by her neighbor late Tuesday despite doing everything she could to protect herself.

Officers said Darrell Gore, 23, raped the woman even though she fired a gun at him and cut him with a knife in the chest. Investigators said Gore had watched her come home from work and then forced his way into the house when she answered the door.

The woman, who has a military background, told police she locked herself in her bedroom and fired a warning shot through the door. She said the gun jammed, and she called 911 as she tried to load a shotgun.

The woman can be heard on the 911 call screaming that someone was breaking into her home in the Myrtle School Road area. Police said Gore can then be heard breaking down the door to get to the woman, and the recording reveals a man’s voice and what sounds like the phone being knocked from the woman’s hand. Then the line went dead.

The woman reportedly slashed Gore with a knife after he wrestled the shotgun away from her. She said it was then that Gore sexually assaulted her.

Officers said that when they arrived, a bloodied Gore, suffering a superficial stab wound, opened the door to the home.

One investigator called Gore “the most dangerous person” he has seen. Gore reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder.

Neighbors said they aren’t surprised by Gore’s arrest.

“A couple of months ago he tried to assault my neighbor across the street,” said Mary Weaver.

A police report shows Gore reportedly went into a woman’s home and attempted to sexually assault her. The incident was investigated, but Gore was not charged.

“I think they should have done something earlier,” Weaver said.

Prosecutor Donald Rice said the suspect has already submitted to a video confession in Tuesday night’s attack. Gore is charged with second-degree rape and first-degree burglary.

Gore made his first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon, where he stated he wanted to go home. The judge, however, raised his bond from $200,000 to $750,000. He cited the serious nature of the alleged crime and because Gore was charged with assault on a female in 2007.

Gore was also charged earlier this year with communicating threats, disorderly conduct and trespassing, but all the charges were dismissed by the district attorney’s office.