Girl Still In Hospital After Father Kills Family, Himself

DALLAS, N.C.,None — A Gaston County family is seeing an outpouring of community support after a man killed his pregnant girlfriend and children in a triple murder-suicide.

VIDEO: Community Plans Vigil For Murdered Family

Investigators said 25-year-old Austen Minter shot 24-year-old Tracy Hedgepath, who was three months pregnant, and three of their children before turning the gun on himself in the couple's home on Dean Drive in Dallas.

Hedgepath, 6-year-old Austen Blake Minter II and 3-year-old Serenity Tyvone Minter died as a result of the gunshot wounds. The couple's 7-year-old daughter, Destiny, survived the shooting and is being treated at Carolinas Medical Center. She was shot in the head, according to police.

Police said Hedgepath and Minter had been dating for several years. Officers said they have responded to their home for previous domestic incidents, and family members described the longtime couple's relationship as turbulent.

"The adults had been together seven years and did have some difficult moments during the relationship," said Capt. Joseph Ramey, with the Gaston County Police Department.

Police said Hedgepath's parents discovered the bodies at about 7:30 p.m. Friday. They went to check on the family after Hedgepath didn't show up to work at the K-Mart store in Gastonia, police said. Investigators are still working to determine exactly when the shootings happened, but said it was sometime between midnight Thursday and 1 p.m. Friday.

Investigators said Destiny likely suffered for hours before her grandparents found her, but may have been unconscious for part of the time.

"That little girl was laying in there alive and that's got me tore up … terribly tore up," neighbor Joe Griffin said.

Family members said the couple met in high school and have had a tumultuous relationship. According to police, Hedgepath took out a domestic violence protective order against Minter in 2008. In it, Hedgepath said Minter threatened to kill her "many times and once stomped her to the ground." She wrote about her children, who were 3 and 4 years old at the time, screaming, ‘Stop, Daddy, don't hurt Mommy,' and said they were emotionally injured and scared of loud noises. Hedgepath said Minter threatened to kill himself if she "won't (sic) stay with him."

Two months after the order was filed, Minter was charged with violating it and sentenced to probation.

"It's going to be a scar that we'll all carry because of the kids that were involved," Griffin said. "It's just really tragic and it really hasn't sunk in yet."

The family was active at Hill View Baptist Church in Dallas. Pastor Reavis Fox said church members are visiting Hedgepath's relatives and have made several trips to visit the 7-year-old girl at CMC.

A manager at the K-Mart where Hedgepath worked said the company has reached out to her family and is offering support in any way possible.

One of Hedgepath's sisters said she's thankful for the support, adding that people have volunteered to help the family set up accounts to collect donations to cover funeral expenses and to start funds to help cover Destiny's needs.

VIDEO: Police: 4 Dead, 1 Hurt Inside Gaston County Home

Destiny remains in critical condition at CMC. Investigators said it will be days before doctors know if she will have permanent brain damage from her injuries.

"I really can't hardly feel anything. I'm so sorry," said family friend Michelle Taylor.

Ramey said they are waiting for Destiny's condition to improve before interviewing her about the shootings. They're hoping information from her, along with autopsy reports, will help them piece together the sequence of events. Detectives will also be going through court records this week in an effort to learn more about the turbulent couple's history.

In addition to past domestic incidents, police said they have also responded to the home in relation to incidents including civil disturbance, motor vehicle theft, burglary and warrant service.

WSOC