Man 'rammed car into restaurant killing daughter and daughter-in-law'

A man has been charged with murder after he allegedly rammed a vehicle into a steak restaurant and killing his daughter and daughter-in-law who were sat inside.

Roger Self was charged with two counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of his daughter, Katelyn Self, a deputy with the Gaston County Sheriff's Office, and his daughter-in-law, Amanda Self, a nurse.

He is accused of driving the car into the restaurant at the Surf and Turf Lodge in Bessemer City on Sunday.

Mr Self, was immediately arrested at the scene and the preliminary evidence indicates he purposely drove all the way into the restaurant at about noon after seating his family in the restaurant, authorities said.

"He drove his car into the building, killing people, so that's why we took him into custody immediately," Bessemer City Police Chief Thomas Ellis Jr. said.

The Gaston Gazette reports Amanda Self was the wife of Roger Self's son, Gaston County Police Officer Josh Self, who also was seriously injured, along with Roger Self's wife, Diane, and the 13-year-old daughter of Josh and Amanda Self.

Their injuries are not life-threatening.

Police said they were opening a homicide investigation but they gave no initial indication of the circumstances leading up to the crash that sent stunned patrons scrambling at the eatery.

Caleb Martin, a 14-year-old who identified himself as a busboy at the restaurant, said he saw the crash and was stunned by the suddenness of it all.

"I walked over to my station and I heard a loud boom," Mr Caleb told WSOC-TV.

He said he did not know what to do at first, but quickly joined arriving first responders in helping those injured by clearing debris and tables away. "The one guy I could help in back, he was pretty hurt."

Footage from the restaurant scene showed emergency responders treating people on the ground outside as shocked patrons milled about Sunday afternoon.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokesman Rob Tufano called the crash a "mass casualty" incident, and reports said some of the victims were flown by helicopter to a medical centre.

There was no immediate count on the number of injured or the extent of the injuries.

The sheriff's office posted a photograph of katelyn Self via social media, adding "Our hearts are broken" and saying the agency requested thoughts and prayers not only for the deputy's family and friends but for her "brothers and sisters in uniform."

Authorities said the family was requesting privacy and referred any questions to the family's pastor. Messages left at the telephone of the pastor by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

The Gaston Gazette identified Roger Self as being from Dallas, North Carolina.

A 2017 profile in the Gazette said Roger Self ran a private investigations business called Southeastern Loss Management. It said the business opened in 1989 and mostly helped companies investigate employees' wrongdoing.

The Gaston Gazette identified the vehicle as a sports utility vehicle and photographs showed a shattered opening in a restaurant wall.