Raleigh teen shooter exchanged gunfire with officers, stabbed and shot brother: preliminary report
The North Carolina Raleigh Police Department (RPD) said Thursday that the 15-year-old gunman is accused of killing five people in an attack. October 13 shooting Exchanging fire with two officers.
Estella Dr. Patterson, Raleigh Police Chief in a report, “Over the course of several hours, a search for the suspected shooter ensued that involved an exchange of fire between the shooter and several officers.”
Austin Thompson, 15, is accused of killing five people, including his 16-year-old brother and an off-duty officer, and injuring two others in Hedingham neighborhood in Raleigh, Suburban community surrounding a golf course. Thompson remains in critical condition after an exchange of fire with several officers.
Investigators later determined that Justin Thompson, the bat shooter, died of apparent bullet and gunshot wounds at the 5300 compound of Sahali Road.
Patterson previously identified the four other deceased victims as off-duty police officer Gabriel Torres, 29, Nicole Connors, 52, Susan Karnatz, 49, and Mary Marshall, 35.
Two other victims were wounded, but survived. They were identified as a second Raleigh police officer who has since been released from the hospital and Marcel Lynn Gardner, who was shot days before her 60th birthday and remains in critical condition.
Officers first received a 911 call about the shooting on October 13 at 5:09 p.m., and received another call at 5:14 p.m. about the shooting and two people on the ground. Justin Thompson, Gardner and Connors were the first three victims. Shortly thereafter, officers received a call stating that Officer Torres had been shot in his car by a man in camouflage clothing with a rifle. First responding officers arrived in Hedingham at 5:19 p.m.
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Eyewitnesses reported that the suspect was fleeing towards him Green Neighborhood TrailAnd at 5:21 p.m., officers received another 911 call about two additional victims shot along the Green Road, including Mary Marshall and Susan Karnatz.
Initial investigation indicates that there does not appear to be any connection between the victims other than the fact that they lived in the same neighbourhood.
The alleged shooter of Rally Austin Thompson (circled) and his brother James. The frenzy resulted in five deaths and two injuries.
(Fox News)
“An extensive search was conducted on the suspect, which included assisting officers across multiple state, local and federal law enforcement agencies,” Patterson wrote in her report.
“As the research area expanded, many of the nearby buildings began to include schools and living facilities with the help of lockdown protocols.”
At about 6:42 p.m., officers located Thomspon in an area with two “barn-like” buildings near McConnell Oliver Drive. As officers searched the area, Thompson fired “multiple shots” at police from a building, and Raleigh police officer Casey Clark fell to the ground after being shot.
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Several officers responded by firing a total of about 23 rounds at Thompson. At 9:34 p.m., tactical officers entered a building and found the suspect on the ground with one bullet wound.
“At the time, he was wearing camouflage clothing and a backpack, and had a gun in his waistband. The backpack contained various items, including several types of rifle/rifle ammunition. A large knife scabbard was found slashed in his belt,” Patterson wrote Find a large hunting knife in the front of the outbuilding. A rifle and shotgun shells were lying on the ground near him.”
The gunman fled Raleigh from the scene of the shooting on October 19 into two barn-like buildings where he exchanged fire with police.
(Raleigh PD)
Officers had Thompson in handcuffs by 9:36 p.m.
The North Carolina Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is investigating the two officers who apparently exchanged fire with Thompson, and the Raleigh Police Department’s Detective Division is investigating Thompson’s actions, according to the report.
The 15-year-old gunman’s parents, Alan and Elise Thompson, issued their first public statement on Tuesday.
“Words cannot begin to describe our suffering and grief,” the parents wrote, according to the Associated Press. “Our son Austin has done immeasurable harm to the Raleigh community, and we grieve for the innocent lives we lost.”
In this aerial photo captured by a drone, law enforcement operates at a shooting scene in Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022.
(Travis Long/The News and Observer via Associated Press)
Al Thompson, grieving their loss, wrote on Tuesday that they also “have a lot of unanswered questions.”
“There were no indications or warning signs that Austin was capable of doing anything like this,” they wrote. “Our family will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement officials and do everything we can to help them understand why and how this happened.”
The violence erupted in a part of the Hedingham neighborhood near Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive, where the Greenway is behind a section of homes. When the shooting broke out, The police asked the residents To stay indoors and call 911 immediately if they see or hear anything.
Officers stand at the entrance to the Neuse River Greenway Trail parking lot in Abington Lane after a shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday, October 13, 2022.
(Ethan Hayman/The News & Observer via AP)
Police have not yet determined the motive.
The Refugee Protection Service usually issues reports five days after major incidents, such as shootings, and summarize the department’s ongoing investigations into those incidents.
Police are asking anyone with information related to the shooting to call 919-996-1193.
