Family of Raleigh police officer killed in mass shooting receives mortgage-free home
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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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Five months after a shooter killed five people in the Hedingham neighborhood, the family of the Raleigh police officer killed in the mass shooting has received a new home, fully paid-off.
The family of Gabriel Torres was welcomed into their mortgage-free home over the weekend through the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which offers housing support to law enforcement officers, veterans and their families.
Gabriel Torres, 29, was fatally shot while leaving his home for work on Oct. 13, 2022. Four other people died while two others were injured after they were shot, including another police officer during a standoff with the suspect.
Jasmin Torres and the couple’s young daughter, Layla, received their new home through the foundation’s Fallen First Responder Home Program, the foundation announced Tuesday.
The program pays off the mortgages of families of law enforcement officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty and leave behind young children, including those who died from illnesses related to 9/11.
“There are some things in life that you just do not expect to happen,” Jasmin Torres said in a statement. “I never expected to tragically lose my husband last October. I did, however, expect our normal routine. He was supposed to make it to work alive … come home alive. He did not get that chance.”
Torres was off-duty and not in uniform at the time of his death. The foundation reached out to Jasmin Torres after his death.
“Tunnel to Towers helped restore my diminished confidence to tackle life head-on with my daughter,” Jasmin Torres said. “The unexpected happened again, this time in the most incredible way ever.”
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson attended the private ceremony,
“The Raleigh Police Department is extremely grateful for the love, benevolence and support Tunnel to Towers has given to Jasmin and Layla,” she said in a news release. “Their commitment to honor the lives of our fallen heroes and their families across the nation is remarkable.”
Who was Raleigh Police Officer Torres?
Torres had been with the police department for 18 months.
Before that, he served as a Marine at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville. He was a Marine from November 2016 to February 2021, reaching the rank of sergeant, according to information provided to The News & Observer by the U.S. Marine Corps.
“In Galatians 6, we are called to ‘carry each other’s burdens,’” Raleigh Police Maj. Brian Harrison said in a statement. “Hopefully today will ease part of Jasmin and Layla’s burden .... (by providing) a safe place for Layla to grow up, a place where family always has a place to stay, and a place where friends and family can come to honor the life and service of Gabe.”
“Officer Torres dedicated his life to his country, community and family,” Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller said in the news release. “He served in the Marines before serving the citizens of Raleigh. He is a hero, and I am honored to welcome his family into our family and provide them with a forever home.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2023 at 3:35 PM.
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