Raleigh shooting – latest: Suspect, 15, will face charges as an adult after killing five
Police describe suspect as white, juvenile male
Five people were killed by a shooter who opened fire along a walking trail in North Carolina’s capital city on Thursday and eluded police for hours before he was cornered and arrested, police said.
Law enforcement officials identified the victims of the shooting on Friday. An off-duty police officer was among those killed by the suspect, whom police described as a white, 15-year-old male.
The suspect was arrested around 9.37pm after evading capture for hours and hiding inside a home, authorities said.
Gunfire broke out around 5pm, along the Neuse River Greenway in a residential area northeast of downtown, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said.
Officers from numerous law enforcement agencies swarmed the area, closing roads and warning residents to stay inside while they searched for the shooter.
Two people, including another police officer, were also taken to hospitals.
“Tonight terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh. This is a senseless horrific and infuriating act of violence that has been committed,” Governor Roy Cooper told reporters.
The victims: James Thompson
Thompson, 16, was a junior at Knightdale High School in Raleigh, according to a statement from Principal Keith Richardson.
“It is an unexpected loss and we are saddened by it,” Richardson said. “Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to James’ family, the other victims, their families and all who have been impacted by yesterday’s events.”
The school board chair and superintendent of the Wake County Public School System issued a statement that said they are “shocked, saddened and broken-hearted.”
“Our hearts go out to the victims’ loved ones, and our community continues to seek answers around this tragedy and solutions to prevent such unspeakable events in the future,” the statement said.
Violent week a grim sign as targeted killings of police rise
The shooting deaths of two Connecticut officers and wounding of a third punctuated an especially violent week for police across the U.S. and fit into a grim pattern: Even as more officers left their jobs in the past two years, the number targeted and killed rose.
According to organizations that track violence against police, 56 officers have been killed by gunfire this year — 14% more than this time last year and about 45% ahead of 2020’s pace. The country is on track for the deadliest year since 67 officers were killed in 2016.
While the figures include a few officers killed by accidental gunfire, the number of ambushes in which police were injured or killed in surprise attacks with little chance to defend themselves has soared since 2020 and accounts for nearly half the officers killed this year.
Such an attack apparently struck Wednesday in Bristol, Connecticut, where the state police said Bristol Police Sgt. Dustin Demonte and Officer Alex Hamzy were killed and Officer Alec Iurato was wounded when they responded to a 911 call that appears to have been “a deliberate act to lure law enforcement to the scene.”
At least 11 police officers were shot around the country this week, including one fatally in Greenville, Mississippi, and another in Las Vegas.
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Violent week a grim sign as targeted killings of police rise
Frantic 911 callers describe bodies during Raleigh shooting
Callers who dialed 911 during a fatal North Carolina shooting rampage described encountering bodies on the streets or front yards of their neighborhood and along a trail popular with runners and bikers, according to newly released recordings.
The 911 calls released late Friday by the Raleigh Police Department illustrate the chaos of the scene on Thursday in which authorities said a 15-year-old boy began firing in a residential neighborhood and then on the walking trail, killing five and wounding two others. The recordings also provide new details about the teen, with multiple callers saying he was wearing camouflage and one caller saying he was carrying a shotgun.
In one of the first calls, around 5:12 p.m. Thursday, a man describes seeing the shooter kill off-duty police officer Gabriel Torres in the Hedingham neighborhood northeast of downtown. The caller frantically asks for help.
“He just walked right through and shot him. He walked by and shot him for no reason,” the caller says, adding, in reference to Torres: “It looks like he’s bleeding from his chest.”
The caller says the shooter was wearing camouflage and was moving toward the Neuse River Greenway Trail that runs behind the neighborhood.
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Frantic 911 callers describe bodies during Raleigh shooting
Biden calls for action to end gun violence after shooting in North Carolina: ‘Enough’
President Joe Biden offered words of condolences after a mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, killed five people.
A shooter opened fire on Thursday evening and killed five people, including an off-duty police officer. Another officer from a Raleigh K-9 office was shot and was being treated. Police caught the suspect after four hours in a home and arrested him.
ABC11 identified the victims as Nicole Connors, 5; Susan Karnatz, 49; Mary Marshall, 35, Gabriel Torres, 29; and a 16-year-old who was not named.
“Jill and I are grieving with the families in Raleigh, North Carolina, whose loved ones were killed and wounded in yet another mass shooting in America,” Mr Biden said in a statement. “We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors, including an off-duty police officer.”
The presidentcalled for legislative action to end gun violence.
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Biden calls for action to end gun violence after shooting in North Carolina: ‘Enough’
Billy Graham chaplains set up Raleigh centre following mass shooting
Billy Graham Ministries chaplains will set up a centre in Raleigh following Thursday’s mass shooting, The News & Observer reported.
The international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, Josh Holland, said in a statement: “What an incredibly terrifying situation. My heart is heavy to hear about this tragic mass shooting.”
“We are sending our crisis-trained chaplains to comfort people, listen and cry with them, pray with them and share God’s love with those who have been impacted by this horrific tragedy,” he added.
Vigil in Raleigh for five people killed in mass shooting
A vigil was organised on Saturday afternoon for the five victims of Thursday’s mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“Our hearts are heavy, and we are saddened by the series of devastating events that took place in our community two days ago due to a senseless act of violence,” the representative for District 9, Tabitha Smith, said according to WNCN.
The memorial service took place at the Willow Oak Clubhouse in the neighbourhood of Hedingham, where the shooting occurred.
‘Even the air is not the same’: Neighbours gather to remember victims of mass shooting
At a memorial service on Saturday, District 9 representative Tabitha Smith said, “these were our neighbours, just living their lives with plans for the future and had no idea that October 13 would be their last day with us”.
At the service, Melissa and John Smith said their son went to school with James Thompson, 16, one of those killed on Thursday.
They added that another victim, Nicole Connors, 52, was a neighbour they knew personally.
“It’s just going to be really different,” Ms Smith said, according to WNCN. “Even the air is not the same, but we’re not going to let this defeat us.”