One suspect was detained at Dulles International Airport while another was captured days later in upstate South Carolina.
GASTONIA, N.C. — Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of 68-year-old Pamela Shanks, who police said was not the intended target when gunfire struck her as she sat on the back porch of her Gastonia home.
Shanks was killed Oct. 19 at her home on Hillgate Avenue, where the rear of the property faces Laurel Lane near the Dwell Townhomes. Investigators have not publicly identified the intended target or explained what led to the gunfire. The arrests, made several days apart and in two states, marked the most significant development in an investigation that Gastonia police say remains active.
Police said a 16-year-old suspect was taken into custody Oct. 23 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Authorities said the teenager was attempting to leave the United States for Africa. Investigators are also examining how the juvenile traveled to northern Virginia and obtained the money needed for an international airline ticket. Because the suspect is a minor, police have not released a name.
A second suspect, 17, was arrested Oct. 27 in upstate South Carolina while authorities said the teen was on the run. Police also withheld that teenager’s identity because of the suspect’s age. Gastonia police worked with federal and other law enforcement agencies during the search, including the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Investigators and analysts with Gastonia’s Real-Time Crime Center also took part in the case. Police have not publicly detailed what evidence led detectives to the two teenagers or whether investigators believe either teen fired the shot that killed Shanks. Authorities have also not released a suspected motive or publicly explained any connection between the teenagers and the people involved in the shooting.
Shanks was on her back porch when the shooting erupted at about 4:30 p.m., according to police and family accounts. Investigators later said she was not the intended target of the gunfire. Neighbors told local news outlets that they heard several shots and saw multiple young people running from the area afterward, though police have not said whether the teenagers now in custody were among the people witnesses described.
The killing left Shanks’ family grieving a woman relatives remembered for her humor and warmth. Her niece told WBTV after the shooting that the family remained in shock over a death that occurred while Shanks was at home. Shanks’ fiancé later expressed relief that arrests had been made as investigators continued trying to determine exactly what happened.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unresolved. Authorities have not publicly identified who was being targeted, how many people may have fired weapons or what dispute, if any, preceded the gunfire. The juveniles’ ages also limit the amount of information law enforcement can release while the case moves through the justice system.
Gastonia police told Queen City News that the teenagers will likely face prosecution as adults, but officials had not publicly detailed the charges against them in the material reviewed for this report. Any charging decision and later court proceedings will determine how the allegations are formally handled. The arrests alone do not establish guilt.
Police said the investigation remains active. Detectives are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding Shanks’ death, including the actions of the people involved before and after the shooting and the 16-year-old suspect’s attempt to leave the country.
Author note: Last updated October 29, 2026.