Five people, including an off-duty police officer, were killed in a shooting in a residential neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday night.
The suspect, a male juvenile, had barricaded himself inside a home in the area after going on a shooting spree around 5 p.m.
The Raleigh Police Department confirmed late Thursday that the suspect had been apprehended. The suspect was detained by the police after 9:30 p.m. Thursday following an intense, hours-long manhunt. He was hospitalized in critical condition Friday.
“This is a sad and tragic day for the City of Raleigh,” Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said at a press conference as sirens blared in the background. “It’s a tragic day because Raleigh Police have lost one of its own.”
Two other victims, including a Raleigh Police Department canine officer, were hospitalized with injuries. The officer was released Thursday night, while the second victim remained in critical condition.
A witness of the incident said, “The teenager encountered the off-duty officer on the greenway on his way to work. After targeting another officer and five civilians, the shooter took refuge inside an area residence. I saw the gunman run through my backyard after the shooting. He had a long-barrel shotgun. He was dressed in camo. He had a full backpack on that was also camouflage.”
Baldwin added during the press conference, “This is the latest round of gun violence to shock the nation. We must do more. We must stop this mindless violence in America. We must address gun violence. We have much to do.”
The 15-year old boy was identified to be Austin Thompson, the younger brother of one of the casualties.
Austin’s older brother, James Roger Thompson, a junior at Knightdale High School, was identified earlier as the youngest of the five deceased victims.
Raleigh Police Chief Estelle Patterson named the other fatalities as off-duty officer Gabriel Torres, 29, Nicole Conners, 52, Mary Marshall, 35, and Susan Karnatz, 49.
K-9 Officer Casey Clark was wounded during the incident but has since been treated and released from the hospital. Another surviving victim identified as Marcille Gardner, 59, remained in critical condition.
“He looked like a baby. I just don’t even have the words to explain. This is not OK,” one witness said.
What the hell is wrong with people?
STOP THE PRESCRIBING OF RITALIN AND and other mind control meds that has been going on since the mid 80s when the fda approved the use of these meds when they were first introduced…ever since then, these shootings have been taking place at an increasing rate since then…the first school mass shooting occured in the late 80s in little rock ar where the 2 shooters stole the guns from the LOCKED gun locker…after that, each decade had more shootings than the previous…who’s responsible, the gun owners, the gov’t, the shooters?? sure as hell ain’t the gun owners since their weapons are currently locked up, then stolen…BOTH the gov’t and the shooters are responsible…whoa….how can it be both gov’t and shooter?? simple, the gov’t approved the use of these dangerous mind control meds and the shooter is the one with the weapon in hand making the decision to use that weapon as his TOOL to conduct the shooting!
Yes, I hate seeing kids killing adults ot other kids….but, PUT BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS….parents, IF you know your kids are on these meds, GET THEM THE HELP THEY NEED TO GET OFF THESE MEDS and on to something safer and better, OR off of everything completely and into an institution where they can get the help the really need!!!!