Woman killed in Raleigh shooting was planning to get married this month. Instead, family and friends will now hold her celebration of life
People throughout the Raleigh community are continuing to mourn the loss of five people who lost their lives during last week’s mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood.
On Tuesday, WRAL News spoke with Rob Steele, the fiancé of the late Mary Marshall.
“[She was] the most loving and caring person I have ever met in my life,” Steele said. “[It] sounds cliché, but she taught me how to be a better man.”
The couple met online in March 2020.
“I don’t think I’ll ever meet a person as good as she was,” Steele said.
WRAL News also spoke with Meaghan McCrickard, who is Marshall’s sister.
“It’s numbing you watch it on TV,” McCrickard said. “You see it every day, but we live in Raleigh.
“They live in Hedingham. It doesn’t happen to us, but it did and it’s terrifying.”
Steele said he got a fun, cute text message from Marshall at 5 p.m. on Oct. 13, saying she saw the “fluffiest pup.” He said he received a call from Marshall about 13 minutes later. Their beloved yorkie Scruff of 12 years was on the move.
“She said, ‘I need you to come home immediately. Scruff slipped his collar. He isn’t listening to me. I just heard gunshots,’” Steele said.
Steele said he drove 40 minutes to get home.
“I got a really bad feeling I started calling her, it rang and rang and rang,” Steele said. “That feeling kept getting worse.”
Steele arrived home to police cars everywhere and an active shooter leaving a trail of terror. The family waited three hours in agony, when a detective approached.
The detective asked Steele how many tattoos Marshall had. Steele explained Marshall’s tattoos to the detective. Authorities found Marshall on the greenway with Scruff.
“He handed me the leash,” Steele said. “He said Scruff was such a good boy.
“He stayed with her the whole time [so] no one could get close to her.”
McCrickard recalled the phone call that would shatter the family’s world.
“It's not fair,” McCrickard said. “I had her for 34 years.”
Steele and Marshall’s wedding had been set for Oct. 29. Now, the date is set for Marshall’s celebration of life.
“I wanted to be standing at end of the aisle in two weeks, and watch the woman, the love of my life, be escorted to me by her dad,” Steele said. “I wanted to see the smile on her face as we started the rest of our life together.”
Family members of Marshall started a GoFundMe page to help pay for her memorial and funeral.
Steele and McCrickard met with lawmakers on Tuesday, and will meet with more Wednesday to push they say "as hard as they can" to fight for more mental health resources in the state. They said they plan to be steadfast and stubborn, just like Marshall.
