Two people were killed Sunday when a man drove his car into the side of a Bessemer City restaurant.
Police arrested the driver, 62-year-old Roger Self, who crashed into the Surf and Turf Lodge at 12:04 p.m.
Among those killed was Self’s daughter, 26-year-old Katelyn Tyler Self, an off-duty off duty deputy with the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office. Police said the father intentionally drove his car into the building.
Authorities said they would release the name of the second person killed when family members are notified.
Police are calling this incident a “mass casualty.” In addition to those killed, several others who were inside the restaurant were taken to Carolinas Medical Center with minor and major injuries.
Police did not say what may have motivated Self to drive his car into the building.
According to the Gaston Gazette, Roger Self, a former police officer turned private investigator, was eating appetizers with his family when he got up from the table. His family thought he was going to the restroom. Moments later, he crashed his Jeep into the building.
Friends told Gazette that Self had been battling depression and mental illness.
