Karla Ragsdale Essick, 54, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was found with a gunshot wound at her Cool Springs Road residence on the morning of July 15, 2020 and was pronounced dead at the scene. A registered nurse with Advanced Nursing Solutions, she was born August 5, 1965, in Davidson County and was preceded in death by her husband Brent Russell Essick in 2013.

Police say the shooter was her neighbor, 87-year-old Hermon Lowell Aycoth, who remained at the scene and was arrested without incident. Aycoth was charged with murder and held at the Forsyth County detention center without bond as the investigation continued; officers canvassed the area to gather information.

Karla is survived by her sons Bradley, Brandon, and Brody Essick, grandchildren, and other family. Does anyone in the Winston-Salem area have information that could help explain what led to this shooting?