Raleigh shooting – latest: Suspect, 15, will face charges as an adult after killing five
Police describe suspect as white, juvenile male
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
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.
Suspect arrested after being cornered in a home, police confirm
The shooting suspected who eluded police for hours after killing five people, including an off-duty police officer, has now been arrested, Raleigh police say.
The suspect was arrested around 9.37pm, authorities said. His identity and age weren’t released. He is thought to be a teenage boy wearing camouflage.
Earlier there were reports that the suspected gunman has been “contained” inside a barn.
'Lights on, doors locked', residents describe fear they are living under tonight
Hundreds of residents in Raleigh were forced to live under stay-inside orders after the alleged gunman who killed five hid in an unknown house and eluded police for hours. The suspect is now in police custody.
Brooke Medina, who lives in the neighbourhood bordering the greenway, described the scenes when she saw about two dozen police cars, both marked and unmarked, race toward the residential area about from Raleigh’s downtown at about 5.15pm.
She then saw ambulances speeding the other direction, toward the closest hospital.
She and her husband, who was working from home with their four children, started reaching out to neighbours and realised there was a shelter-in-place order.
The family closed all of their window blinds, locked the doors and congregated in an upstairs hallway together, said Ms Medina, who works as a communications vice president at a think tank.
The family listened to the police scanner and watched local news before going back downstairs once the danger seemed to have moved further away from their home.
“We’re just going to hunker down for the rest of the night and be very vigilant. Keep all of our lights on, doors locked,” she said.
She described the neighbourhood known as Hedingham as a sprawling, dense, tree-lined community that’s full of single-family homes, duplexes and townhomes that are more moderately priced compared to other parts of the Raleigh area.
Ms Medina said she often takes her kids on bike rides along the greenway during the day, but typically brings pepper spray along just in case.
“There’s a lot of places one could disappear,” she said.
Allison Greenawalt, 29, who also lives in the neighbourhood, said she was sitting on the couch with her cat around 5pm when she heard “three shots in a pretty rapid succession”.
“I was sitting in our house with the lights turned off and the windows closed for the majority of the evening, just waiting to hear that” the shooter had been arrested, she said.
Images show heavy police presence in Raleigh
Latest images show the aftermath of the shooting incident.
Raleigh shooting is 25th mass killing in 2022
The Raleigh shooting was the latest in a violent week across the country.
Five people were killed Sunday in a shooting at a home in Inman, South Carolina. On Wednesday night, two police officers were fatally shot in Connecticut after apparently being drawn into an ambush by an emergency call about possible domestic violence.
Two of those officers, one in Greenville and one Las Vegas, were killed.
It followed shootings of police officers this week in Greenville, Mississippi, Decatur, Illinois, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and central Florida.
Thursday’s violence was the 25th mass killing in 2022 in which the victims were fatally shot, according to the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killings database.
A mass killing is defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator.
Full story: Off-duty police officer among five victims killed by gunman, say officials
Five people were killed in a mass shooting in North Carolina’s capital city Raleigh with the suspected gunman arrested after being “contained” in a house for hours.
The shooter opened fire on Thursday evening at around 5pm along a walking trail in Raleigh city and killed five people, along with an off-duty police officer.
The suspect eluded police for hours before he was cornered in a home and arrested at around 9.37pm, police said.
Read more:
Off-duty police officer among five victims killed by gunman in Raleigh
Police arrest suspect shooter who officials describe as a white teenage male
Moment police responded to Raleigh shooting
How many people were shot in Raleigh?
Five people were killed, including an off-duty Raleigh Police officer.
Two other people were injured and taken to the hospital.
The shooting occurred at around 5pm and the shooter was apprehended at 9.37pm.
One of the injured is a Raleigh Police K-9 officer. He was released Thursday night.
The other person remains in critical condition, as of 10.45pm, said Lt Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department, according to local media.
All we know about Raleigh shooting suspect
The alleged gunmen was arrested around 9.37pm after eluding police for hours and hiding inside a home, authorities said.
The suspect was believed to be a white teenage male with a long gun wearing camouflage, according to initial reports. However, his identity and age weren’t released by officials.
The teen was at large for hours before being “confined” in a house at around 8pm till the police managed to arrest him after one and a half hours.
After being taken into custody, the suspect was taken to WakeMed Hospital.
No information is available yet about his motive or any conditions.
Five dead, including police officer, in North Carolina shooting
Terror has reached our doorstep', says governor after shooting
Reacting to the shooting that left five dead and two injured in Raleigh, governor Roy Cooper called for an end to “mindless violence”.
“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,” Mr Cooper told reporters.
“We must stop this mindless violence in America, we must address gun violence,” the mayor said. “We have much to do, and tonight we have much to mourn.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.