A 15-year-old active shooter, wearing camouflage and wielding a shotgun, randomly shot and killed five people near a trail in Raleigh, North Carolina. Video emerged from the scene, showing a massive law enforcement response.
Five people, including an off-duty police officer, were shot and killed, and two people were wounded, police confirmed. The suspect was named as Austin Thompson by WRAL-TV.
The victims’ names were released by Raleigh police: Nicole Connors, 52, Susan Karnatz, 49, Mary Marshall, 35, James Thompson, 16, and off-duty Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29. You can read more about the victims here. James Thompson was Austin Thompson’s brother.
In a news conference, police confirmed that a white male juvenile was arrested. A police officer who was injured and hospitalized was released. One victim remains in critical condition. Police called it a “heartbreaking day for our city.”
Multiple people are dead, according to WRAL-TV. The television station reported that an off-duty officer is among those killed in the October 13, 2022, active shooter incident.
Four or five people in addition to the officer have died, according to ABC 11. ABC 11 reported that two police officers were shot along with civilians. The second officer’s condition is not clear. There are “different crime scenes,” they reported. Veteran journalists had not seen such a massive law enforcement response before, ABC 11 reported.
“I heard two gunshots and they were really loud so I knew something was close by and then I heard three other gunshots,” Robert, a 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 camoflauge.”
You can listen to live scanner audio on Broadcastify.
CBS 17 reported that the active shooter was centered “in the area of the Neuse River Greenway and Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive.”
“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.
Here’s what you need to know:
Police Believe the Suspect Was Holed Up in a Barn, Reports Say
According to Intel Point Alert, “The incident is occurring near Neuse River Greenway, a neighborhood golf course and trail. The shooter is not in custody.”
Spectrum 1 reported that at least three people were injured. They did not say whether anyone was dead. There was a massive police presence at the scene.
On the scanner, police were talking 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 believe the suspect is inside a barn. They were running the backgrounds of people to see if they had “teenage kids” or anything like that, in an attempt to identify the suspect. “Go inside. See if there are any family pictures,” an officer said.
The officers said they told one man who was cutting his grass to go inside.
It appears from scanner audio that authorities have the suspect cornered. At another point, they referred to a person leaning over in a slumped position but still moving. It’s not clear whether they were referring to the suspect, but they also referred to the person “holding the shotgun out” at another point.
According to ABC 11, the SWAT team went “in and out of these neighborhoods.”
Raleigh Police Advised Residents to Remain Inside
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.”
According to CBS, there is a golf course nearby, and it has been closed.
Governor Roy Cooper tweeted, “I have spoken with Mayor Baldwin and instructed state law enforcement to provide assistance responding to the active shooter in East Raleigh. State and local officers are on the ground and working to stop the shooter and keep people safe.”
Videos Emerged From 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!” Those details have not been confirmed by authorities.
A white vehicle with its doors open might be involved, Spectrum 1 reported. A woman who lives in the neighborhood told Spectrum 1 that she could hear helicopters from her house, as well as police drones.
The suspect in the active shooter incident has not been identified publicly. The motive is not clear, and the names and conditions of victims are not clear either as the situation was still active and unfolding.