A month since Raleigh mass shooting, charges still pending for juvenile suspect
A month after Raleigh’s mass shooting, the 15-year-old suspect accused of killing five people in the Hedingham neighborhood still has not been charged.
Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told The News & Observer last month that Austin Thompson would be charged as an adult in Superior Court. Freeman said Friday she was hoping for a transfer to the higher court within the next 30 days.
Her comments came after WRAL and ABC11, The N&O’s news-gathering partner, reported Friday that the suspect had been moved from WakeMed Hospital to an unnamed juvenile detention center.
Thompson had been taken to WakeMed Hospital on Oct. 13, the day of the shooting, in critical condition. Following a massive manhunt, he was shot during a standoff with the Raleigh Police Department. Police have not said how he was injured or the nature of his injuries.
Freeman decline to comment on Thompson’s condition Friday. Raleigh police referred The N&O to Thompson’s family. Thompson’s father declined to comment.
Timeline contingent on suspect’s health
Freeman’s office filed petitions for a probable cause hearing last month, she told The N&O, which is the first step in the process of transferring the case from juvenile court to Superior Court.
A probable cause hearing usually takes place within 15 days of the incident, Freeman previously told The N&O, but the timeline would be contingent on the suspect’s health status.
Hours before he was taken into custody, Thompson, a student at Knightdale High School, allegedly shot seven people in the Hedingham neighborhood of the city. In a five-day report released by the City of Raleigh, police said they did not have a motive for the shooting.
Those who were killed were: James Thompson, the suspect’s 16-year-old brother, Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres, Susan Karnatz, Mary Marshall, Nicole Connors and Connors’ dog.
Two others were injured. Lynn Gardner remains hospitalized and is recovering from her injuries, according to a GoFundMe page that has provided updates on her condition. A Raleigh police officer was released the night of the shooting.