80 Year Old Grandmother Shot, Killed by 88 Year Old Roommate on Mother's Day
Vivian Schronce, 80, was reportedly shot and killed by her 88-year-old roommate, Charles Edwin Venn. The two allegedly argued over his drinking and Venn shot Schronce, who died on Mother's Day.
Police were called to their residence with the report of "a female in cardiac arrest," a press release stated. When they arrived, they found Schronce had been shot in the chest. She was rushed to the nearby medical center but was pronounced dead.
"My mom cared for everybody – everybody, daughter Leanne Catoe told The Gaston Gazette. "That's all I've ever known her to do. We called her Florence Nightingale."
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Police told the Gazette that Schronce returned from church and confronted Venn about his drinking. He had drnak two beers that morning so far and the two began arguing. Venn, who owned a handgun, fired it several times, but only one bullet struck Schronce.
"I sat in church beside her, and I had this weird feeling, and I scooted closer to her," Catoe said.
Schronce had invited her daughter for dinner, and as Catoe pulled up to the residence, she watched paramedics perform CPR on her mother. She immediately feared the worst as she watched the scene unfold.
"And all I could say was, 'God, no. God, no.' And then we get to the hospital and they said that she'd been shot. Why would anybody shoot a grandmother, a great-grandmother?" Catoe asked.
"Anytime you add alcohol and firearms, it's just a deadly mixture," Gaston County Police Capt. Jay Human said.
Venn is currently being held without bond due to the murder charge. Those in the area are shocked at the chain of events that led to Schronce's death.
"I've known Mr. Venn all my life, never thought he would do anything like this. Prayers for the family of the deceased," Loretta June Barton posted on GastonGazette.com.
"She's all I had," Catoe said. "I'm not ready to be the matriarch of this family."
