Austin Thompson, Raleigh Shooting Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Austin Thompson was identified as the 15-year-old camouflage-wearing and shotgun-toting shooting suspect who police say shot five people to death in Raleigh, North Carolina.

WRAL-TV first named the suspect. Authorities have not formally named him because he is a juvenile. It’s expected he will be charged as an adult, WRAL reported.

The active shooter roamed around neighborhoods near Neuse River Greenway, a trail and golf course. The victims he shot to death included his own teenage brother, an off-duty Raleigh police officer on his way to work, a woman walking her dog and a married mother of three who was an avid runner. You can read about the victims here. Two other people, including another police officer, were shot. One of those victims is in critical condition; the second officer is expected to survive.

The motive remains unclear. Thompson is in critical condition at a hospital.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. A Witness Saw the Shooter ‘Dressed in Camo’

FacebookJames Thompson and Austin Thompson (right)

A witness described seeing the suspect, identified as Austin Thompson, pass his house “dressed in camo” and carrying a “long-barrel shotgun.”

“I heard two gunshots, and they were really loud, so I knew something was close by. And then I heard three other gunshots,” Robert, the witness, told WRAL. “I saw him basically pass my house in the backyard. He had a long-barrel shotgun. He was dressed in camo. He had a full backpack on that was also camouflage.”

CNN reported that a handgun and “long gun” were recovered at the scene.

Another witness told the television station that Austin Thompson looked very young.

“He had to be between 13 and 16 max,” said that witness. “He was a child. You just don’t imagine things like that. You hear about school shootings and stuff, but to really see something like that in your neighborhood is just …”

The active shooter was centered around Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive in Raleigh. The shooting spree broke out on October 13, 2022.

2. Thompson’s 16-Year-Old Brother James Was Among the Victims; He Was a High School Junior

One of the deceased victims was James Thompson, 16. According to WRAL-TV, he was Austin Thompson’s brother. James Roger Thompson was a junior at Knightdale High School, WRAL reported.

It was spirit week at the high school this week.

According to WRAL, the brothers “lived on Sahalle Way in the Hedingham subdivision.” Austin was a sophomore at the high school.

Early on, police did not have the suspect in custody, igniting a frightening day during which police advised residents to stay indoors.

“Residents in the area of McConnell Oliver Drive, Tarheel Club Drive and Old Milburnie Road are being advised to remain indoors. Drivers are advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes,” Raleigh police tweeted.

3. The Victims Included an Avid Runner, an Off-Duty Police Officer & a Caregiver

On Facebook, Susan Karnatz, known as Sue Butler Karnatz, had shared photos of running, nature and pets. She was one of the five deceased victims.

Sue Butler Karnatz’s sister wrote a moving tribute on Facebook.

We are heartbroken. My beautiful sister’s life ended yesterday because of this tragedy.

Sue Butler Karnatz was a wife, a mom to 3 boys, a daughter, a niece, a confidante, an ultrarunner, a reader, an advocate, and so much more. She loved life and nature, and had the most gentle of hearts, protecting even the stray bug that made its way into her house.

She loved her family fiercely and there is a big hole there now.

I could be my true self with her, and when we got together, we’d revert to childhood mode sometimes, laughing until one of us cried (usually her).

As her husband said, there are memories now where once there were plans – big plans, small plans, mundane plans. As is the case for so many who lose loved ones too soon, the tragedy seems so very senseless, and I just can’t understand it. Although we live in different cities, I am already facing countless ways that I’ll feel her absence every day.

As I lay awake – as I have all night – I know that this loss is one of many yesterday, affecting so many people. Profoundly. Other families are aching just as we are.
Thanks for reading and letting me share a glimpse of my sister with you. Please remember her with me. ♥️

Robert Steele wrote on Facebook, “The love of my life, Mary Marshall, was killed last night by a cowardly individual. She was shot while walking our dog. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. My world has been completely destroyed.”

Nicole Connors’ husband, Tracey Howard, told NBC News that his wife was a “caregiver.”

She worked in human resources but left the job to help care for her mother who had a stroke, NBC News reported.

Connors knew how to “take charge of everything” to help loved ones, Howard told NBC. She made sure “I took care of myself,” he said.

Police said that Torres was a Raleigh police officer for 18 months.

He was a former Marine based in Florida, achieving the rank of sergeant, according to the News and Observer.

The newspaper reported that Torres was married with one child.

The Raleigh Police Protective Association shared a GoFundMe page to help Torres’s famil

4. ‘Terror Has Reached Our Doorstep,’ the Governor Said

On the police scanner, authorities finally closed in on the active shooter suspect.

Police spoke about getting inside a barn and obtaining a drone. They were talking about using the drone in the area “where the shots came from.” Police said they believed the suspect was inside a barn.

It’s clear they realized early on that they were dealing with a teenage suspect.

Authorities said on the scanner that they were running the backgrounds of people who lived in the neighboring subdivisions to see if they had “teenage kids” in an attempt to identify the suspect. “Go inside. See if there are any family pictures,” an officer said at one point.

The officers said they told one man who was cutting his grass to go inside.

“Tonight, terror has reached our doorstep,” said Gov. Roy Cooper, speaking at a news conference. “The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh. This is a senseless, horrific and infuriating act of violence that has been committed.”

Raleigh police tweeted, “Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in this investigation. We are advising residents in the area of Hedingham neighborhood to remain indoors.”

Police added: “The Raleigh Police Department is currently on the scene of an active shooting in the area of the Neuse River Greenway near Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive.”

Residents in that area are advised to remain in their homes.

According to CBS, there is a golf course nearby, and it has been closed.

5. Videos Emerged From the Scene

Video showed the massive law enforcement response to the scene.

A man wrote on Twitter, “My son is a first responder he just told me that there’s a man in camo in Knightdale outside of Raleigh shooting people with a shot gun point blank on the Neuse River Trail!”

A white vehicle with its doors open might be involved, Spectrum 1 reported. A woman who lives in the neighborhood told Spectrum 1 that they could hear helicopters from their house, as well as police drones.

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