City report fills more gaps in timeline of Raleigh mass shooting, but questions remain
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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 his sentencing hearing.
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Updated Dec. 1: Raleigh releases police body camera videos from deadly Hedingham mass shooting
Days after a 15-year-old began a deadly shooting spree in the Hedingham neighborhood near the Neuse River Greenway in Raleigh, scanner traffic, 911 calls and the city’s preliminary report are providing more detail on the hours that followed.
Five people died in the shooting on Oct. 13 and two others were injured. The suspected shooter remained in critical condition at WakeMed as of Thursday, according to a report from the city released Thursday.
The Raleigh Police Department released a “five-day report” detailing the preliminary results of its investigation Thursday, one week after the shooting.
Here’s the timeline of the Oct. 13 shootings and its aftermath that we know so far.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
Thursday
5:09 p.m. Wake County emergency communications receives the first call reporting multiple shots fired near the Hedingham golf course.
5:12 p.m. A 911 caller on Sahalee Way reports hearing shots outside. She told a dispatcher she sees two victims down near the corner of Sahalee and Castle Pines Drive. The two victims are later identified as Nicole Connors, 52, and Marcille Gardner, 59.
Another 911 call seconds later from the 6000 block of Osprey Cove Drive reports that a suspect “came through with a shotgun and shot my buddy,” who the caller reveals is an off-duty Raleigh police officer later identified as 29-year-old Gabriel Torres. The caller says the shooter, who “looked like he was 16,” was wearing camouflage and fled to the Neuse River trail.
Both locations are in the Hedingham subdivision in northeastern Raleigh with houses bordering the Neuse River Greenway Trail.
5:18 p.m. On the phone with a 911 dispatcher, a security guard on Osprey Cove Drive notes that she’s with an off-duty officer who was shot in the chest. First responders arrive while she’s on the line.
5:19 p.m. Officers first arrive on the scene, according to the city’s 5-day report.
5:21 p.m. A 911 caller cycling on the Neuse River Greenway reports two women injured and on the ground along the trail near Bay Harbor Drive. The victims are later identified as Susan Karnatz, 49, and Mary Marshall, 35.
5:49 p.m. Audio from law enforcement and emergency radio indicates officers are looking for a “6-foot white male. 15 years old. Camo with a long gun.”
5:55 p.m. On Twitter, the Raleigh Police Department says it’s on the scene of an active shooting in the neighborhood and advises residents near Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive to remain in their homes.
6:12 p.m. Scanner traffic reports someone seeing a suspect in camouflage with a backpack on Tarheel Club Road and Tarheel Clubhouse Road, about a mile northeast of the Hedingham neighborhood, running into the woods.
6:37 p.m. Officers indicate over scanner traffic that the suspect was last seen “northwest of Old Milburnie, south of McGee Court, last seen going into the woods north of Tarheel Club.”
6:42 p.m. Officers locate the suspect in an area with two outbuildings on McConnell Oliver Drive. In the following minutes while they search the area, Thompson fires on Officer Casey Clark, injuring him in in his right knee.
6:43 p.m. A 911 caller on in the Foxcroft neighborhood, just north of Hedingham, reports hearing a gunshot in the direction of the Neuse River.
Over scanner traffic, law enforcement also reports hearing a single gunshot in the area.
6:44 p.m. Law enforcement reports over scanner traffic hearing “gunshots in the woods.”
“Multiple or single?” another asked.
“A shit-ton. Multiple,” he replied.
After Officer Clark suffers a gunshot wound, multiple officers return fire. Two Raleigh police officers fire 23 shots, according to the city’s 5-day report.
6:45 p.m. Scanner traffic reports an “officer down” in the area around McConnell Oliver Drive, nearby the suspect’s last known location. In the minutes that follow, responders say the officer has suffered a gunshot wound to the kneecap and has been stabilized.
6:49 p.m. Raleigh police issue a warning about the area on Twitter, telling people in the area of McConnell Oliver Drive, Tarheel Club Road and Old Milburnie Road to remain indoors. Drivers are advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.
6:54 p.m. Gov. Roy Cooper tweets that he has spoken with Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin and “instructed state law enforcement to provide assistance responding to the active shooter in East Raleigh.”
7:01 p.m. Officers strategize about using an aerial drone to monitor the suspect in a barn off McConnell Oliver Drive over scanner traffic.
7:17 p.m. In a 911 call with a concerned resident, a dispatcher notes “they actually have a visual on this guy right now.” “They’re not looking for him now. They fully have eyes on him.”
7:18 p.m. Over scanner traffic, law enforcement watching the subject note he’s sitting down with a gun in his lap. “We have not had movement yet.” They decide to move in with the drone, which they’re able to get within 15 feet of the suspect.
7:22 p.m. Officers report that the suspect is leaned over in a “slumped position” but still moving. After the drone they’re using crashes, they discuss getting a bomb robot to their location.
7:29 p.m. Officers advise over the radio to take cover as the suspect tries “to hold a shotgun up.”
7:33 p.m. Raleigh law enforcement communicates over scanner traffic that they just got a tip the suspect may have a hand grenade.
7:40 p.m. A responder notes over the scanner they’ve found a 16-year-old male “down” in a bathroom in a residence on Sahalee Way. The city’s 5-day report later reveals the victim suffered both gunshot and stab wounds. The victim is later identified as James Thompson.
8:18 p.m. Officers say over scanner traffic that they still have the suspect contained, but won’t advance without additional equipment.
9:04 p.m. At a news conference, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin reports that five people were killed, including an off-duty Raleigh police officer. She said two others were taken to WakeMed, including another police officer with non-life-threatening injuries.
9:07 p.m. Officers report over scanner traffic that the suspect “still has movement” and that they’re trying to retrieve a firearm near him.
9:11 p.m. Over scanner traffic, officers say they plan to keep one robot between the suspect and the firearm while they use another to grab the weapon.
9:22 p.m. Law enforcement cautions over the radio for officers to keep their cover because “we’ve got a firearm in his hand.”
9:24 p.m. Officers report over scanner traffic that the “shotgun’s still on the ground. He’s trying to pull the trigger and nothing’s happening.”
9:31 p.m. Officers alert each other that they’re using a “40mm,” a device that can be used to launch so-called “less-lethal” rounds, on the suspect and to expect a “muffled impact.” They fire three times before getting a response. “He’s now moved his hands behind his head.”
9:32 p.m. Officers use a robot to try to pull the suspect away from a backpack.
9:34 p.m. Officers advance toward the outbuilding where the suspect is located.
9:36 p.m. Officers handcuff the shooting suspect, who is suffering from a single gunshot wound. He is wearing camouflage clothing and a backpack, with a handgun in his waistband, according to the city’s 5-day report. Officers find a large hunting knife and a shotgun nearby.
9:37 p.m. In a Twitter post, Raleigh Police says a suspect is in custody.
9:43 p.m. An EMS worker alerts WakeMed that they have a 15-year-old male with an open head wound. “But he’s protecting his airway and breathing at this time. I’ve got minimal other wounds,” one of the responders says over the radio.
10:51 p.m. In a press conference, Raleigh police Lt. Jason Borneo says the shooting suspect is a “white male juvenile,” and that an officer who was shot had already been released by the hospital. Borneo would not elaborate on any suspected motives. He also says police Chief Estella Patterson Patterson is currently on a flight back to Raleigh after attending a professional conference.
Friday
7 a.m. Raleigh Police appear to be searching a home on Sahalee Way in the Hedingham neighborhood.
8:40 a.m. Baldwin and other city officials name the five people killed.
8:55 a.m. The Raleigh Police Protective Association says it is working to set up a fundraiser for Officer Gabriel Torres’ family.
10:39 a.m. Gov. Roy Cooper announces that flags will be flown at half-staff to honor victims of the shooting.
12:53 p.m. President Joe Biden issues a statement on the shooting. “We’ve grieved and prayed with too many families who have had to bear the terrible burden of these mass shootings. Too many families have had spouses, parents, and children taken from them forever.” Biden calls on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban. Raleigh police have not said what type of weapon was used in the shootings.
2 p.m. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman tells The News & Observer she plans to seek adult charges against the shooting suspect.
2:15 p.m. Sources confirm to The News & Observer that the shooting suspect is 15-year-old Austin Thompson, brother of James Thompson, one of the five people killed. A sophomore at Knightdale High School, Austin Thompson is in critical condition at WakeMed.
Monday
10:30 a.m. Raleigh city officials announce that the Neuse River Greenway trail between Buffaloe Road and Anderson Point Park has re-opened.
Tuesday
1 p.m. Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson updates the city council, revealing that the State Bureau of Investigation is leading an investigation of officers who fired their weapons during the incident. She also says the suspect remains in critical condition.
5:02 p.m. Lawyers for Alan and Elise Thompson, the parents of James and Austin, release a statement saying “there were never any indications or warning signs their son was capable of doing anything like this.” They also pledged to cooperate with law enforcement.
Thursday
2:15 p.m. Raleigh Police Department releases a “5-day report” on the shooting incident, providing more details on the response and investigation. Police said the motive is still unknown.
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 5:40 PM with the headline "City report fills more gaps in timeline of Raleigh mass shooting, but questions remain."
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