Maria Roman leaves Gastonia home after 21 bullets struck residence

Maria Roman is vacating her south Gastonia home following a shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The resident stated that approximately 24 gunshots awakened her around 3 a.m. that morning.

Roman reported that several projectiles traveled through her front door, crossed the living room, and exited through the back door. She noted that her children were not present in the residence at the time of the event.

"All I did was cover my ears, scream. I guess I was so nervous. I really thought I was dead," Roman said. She added that she believes the children would have been killed had they been in their beds during the shooting.

The resident cited safety concerns as the primary reason for her move. "I cannot sit in my front porch and drink coffee without feeling that somebody’s going to come by and do something to me or my kids," she said. "My mind is not the same. They stole my peace."

Gaston County police detectives are currently investigating the incident. Roman stated she has not received sufficient updates from law enforcement. She requested direct communication to understand the progress of the case. "I would like them to contact me, meet me at my house, tell me what they’ve been doing, what have they been doing with my case," she said.

Roman expressed hope that the shooting was a case of mistaken identity. "If the person did it by accident, if it was random, if they know they got the wrong house, I would love for them to just show up and say that it was random so I can probably get my peace back," she said. She indicated she would want the perpetrators to pay for their actions if the attack was targeted.

Gaston County police have not yet responded to inquiries regarding the investigation. Roman will continue to live outside her current residence while detectives review evidence from the Oct. 21 incident.