Mother of 3 shot along rural NC road after pulling over for help while trying to escape boyfriend

A man chased a woman down a rural North Carolina road around midnight on Thursday, shooting and killing her when she pulled over to get help, an investigation has revealed.

Edgecombe County deputies responded to a call early Thursday morning about suspicious vehicles being in someone's yard on Pinetops-Crisp Road near Pinetops, North Carolina.

While deputies were en route, the caller heard gunshots and could see what appeared to be a dead body in their front yard.

When deputies arrived, they found Ashley Webb and George Norville, both dead from gunshot wounds.

Edgecome County Sheriff's Office Capt. Wilson Muse says the couple had a stormy relationship, with the sheriff responding to several calls of arguments between the couple. They had dated for years.

After a dispute that night, Norville chased Webb in his car as she sped away, trying to escape. Webb was on a dark, rural road just after midnight. She pulled into a yard where she saw a lit up house. Muse believes she was hoping to get help.

She made it all the way to the front steps, when Norville caught up – and shot her.

Norville then turned the gun on himself.

Muse says his deputies had responded to some of the couples' previous arguments; however, they hadn't been violent, to his knowledge.

"I don't think there were ever physical assaults," he said. "I think it was just arguments previously, but enough to call the police."

Webb leaves behind three teenage children.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends affected by this tragedy," the sheriff's office wrote.