Raleigh police chief briefs city leaders after mass shooting
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Raleigh mass shooting in Hedingham neighborhood
On Oct. 13, 2022, seven people were shot in Raleigh, NC, in the Hedingham neighborhood near the Neuse River Greenway Trail. Five were killed, including a Raleigh police officer. High school student Austin Thompson was charged with their murders. Read The News & Observer’s ongoing coverage of the mass shooting, Thompson’s guilty plea and ongoing civil lawsuit.
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Police Chief Estella Patterson addressed the Raleigh City Council Tuesday afternoon, the first meeting since the Oct. 13 mass shooting that left five people dead and others injured.
“For the past five days, the Raleigh Police Department’s homicide unit has continued investigating this case, working around the clock to identify and interview witnesses and to collect evidence to better understand the sequence of events that occurred and the possible motives behind the suspect’s actions,” Patterson said.
Five people, including off-duty Raleigh police officer Gabriel Torres, were shot and killed in or near the Hedingham neighborhood in northeast Raleigh. Two people, including another police officer, were injured. The suspect is hospitalized with unidentified injuries.
SBI investigating case
The State Bureau of Investigation is reviewing Thursday’s events, and the Police Department will issue a five-day report this week with a chronology of what happened.
“As with any officer-involved shooting, the State Bureau of Investigation is taking the lead in the investigation of the officers who discharge their weapons,” Patterson said, the first public indication that officers fired their weapons during the incident.
The suspect, identified as Austin Thompson, had a “severe head injury,” according to radio traffic from the night of the shooting. Police have not said how he was injured.
The suspect remains in critical condition, Patterson said Tuesday.
She also updated the council about the two other people injured during the shooting.
Senior Raleigh Police officer Casey Joseph Clark was treated and released from the hospital Thursday night. But he’s “vibrant, energetic, just itching to get back to work,” Patterson said.
Marcille Gardner remains hospitalized but is improving, Patterson said.
Patterson spoke with Torres’ wife this past weekend.
“She asked that I share her gratitude for all that this community has done to honor the life of Officer Torres and to support her, her daughter and the entire family,” Patterson said.
People who want to support the Torres family can email RPDsupport@raleighnc.gov.
City creates new web page
City Manager Marchell Adams-David, the city’s top staff member, also addressed the community for the first time since the shooting.
“Like many of you, I am hurting and feel great sadness,” she said. “What all of this means for the families most impacted, for our community as a whole, and for our organization only the future will decide. It is my hope that we can come together as people, as an organization and, ultimately, as a community, lifting each other up, as we work through this travesty together.”
Nothing in 30 years of public service prepares you for what occurred last week, she said. But the city is taking steps to help the community heal, she said.
Adams-David said a webpage will be added to the city’s website with support resources for victims’ families and the greater community.
“Additionally, we have created a new email, raleighhealingtogether@raleighnc.gov,” she said. “For anyone looking for additional support during this difficult time, or anyone offering to provide some assistance and support during this difficult moment.”
Upcoming vigil
The council also held a moment of silence, and Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin also read each of the victims’ names. In addition to Torres, those killed were Nicole Connors, Susan Karnatz, Mary Marshall and James Thompson, the suspect’s older brother.
“This is our attempt to show support for each other and for those who are hurting,” Baldwin said.
“The light that normally shines on Raleigh does not burn as bright because we have lost five people because of a senseless act of gun violence,” she said.
Baldwin also announced a vigil for 3 p.m. Sunday at in front of Raleigh Memorial Auditorium being called “Raleigh Healing Together.”
Speakers will include the NAACP and Moms Demand Action along with elected officials and community faith leaders.
“There is nothing more powerful than seeing a community come together,” Baldwin said.
In a meeting Monday, the Wake County Board of Commissioners also offered its support and prayers in the aftermath of Thursday’s mass shooting.
“We know that words cannot lessen the pain,” said Wake County Commissioner Chair Sig Hutchinson. “But we want the victims’ families to know that we grieve with you. We pray with you. And we stand with you today.”
Staff writer Aaron Sánchez-Guerra contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 18, 2022 at 1:20 PM.
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