Garner house where 2 boys, father died in murder-suicide in June is torn down
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- Demolition began on Rand Road house where a June murder-suicide killed three.
- Family and neighbors called demolition a step toward healing and memorial plans.
- Complaint alleges deputy response missed domestic violence signs before killings.
Crews began to demolish the house on Rand Road Monday where a murder-suicide killed three people in June, a step that family members called a move toward their healing.
River Collins, 15, and his 13-year-old brother, Jet, died in the house June 24 after their father, 49-year-old Shannon Collins, shot them, set the house on fire and turned the gun on himself, according to documents from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Two cats were also found dead in the home.
Neighbors noted the house coming down on a Garner community Facebook page Monday, some expressing hope that a memorial could go to the Collins boys on the site rather than any new development.
“We are happy to see the demolition begin and are eager to put this chapter of the tragedy behind us as we continue to mourn River and Jet,” said a family statement Monday.
Hours before the killings, the Sheriff’s Office was called to a nearby gas station, where the boys’ mother, Kerrith McDowell, had fled to report a domestic violence incident at the home.
Six days after the murder-suicide, McDowell and her family filed a complaint with the Sheriff’s Office alleging the deputy who responded failed to do his job and could have prevented the tragedy, according to documents shared with The News & Observer.
Shortly after 8 p.m. June 23 an employee from the gas station down the street called 911 on McDowell’s behalf, according to a timeline presented in the complaint. During the 11-minute call, McDowell described how Collins had allegedly pinned her shoulders to the couch during an argument over the family vehicle, then kept her from calling 911 by grabbing her phone and unplugging their Amazon Alexa.
As McDowell ran from the home, Collins reportedly chased her, pushing her to the ground, the complaint alleges. A deputy responded to the scene, according to the complaint. A publicly available incident report confirms the deputy responded but differs from the complaint’s timeline, stating the incident was reported at 6:21 p.m.
It’s unclear how long the deputy was on the scene. As of Thursday afternoon, Wake County had yet to respond to a June 25 records request from The N&O for the 911 call or the dispatch log for the incident. But, the complaint alleges, the deputy ultimately found no crime had been committed and ordered McDowell and Collins to separate “so we aren’t out here all night.”
Collins then reportedly left the home with River and Jet in tow for roughly half an hour, according to the complaint. When the trio returned, McDowell left for her brother’s home in one of the vehicles, the complaint states.
Nearly four hours later, Raleigh police arrived at McDowell’s brother’s home to involuntarily commit her to WakeMed, according to the complaint. An investigative report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Collins tried to have McDowell involuntarily committed.
McDowell’s other brother, a former law enforcement officer in New Jersey, subsequently contacted Wake County dispatch to question them about the involuntary commitment, the complaint alleges. The deputy then reportedly spoke with that brother, saying River and Jet had “’vouched’ for [Collins] and blamed [McDowell] for initiating [the] confrontation,” according to the complaint.
That’s when McDowell’s brother allegedly warned the deputy that Collins might have a firearm. He’d allegedly bought the gun in 2022 without McDowell’s knowledge, but claimed he’d traded it with a Raleigh police officer for a guitar when she asked him to get rid of it, the complaint states.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 3:11 PM.