What weapons did the teen suspect use in the Hedingham mass shooting? What we know
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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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The 15-year-old who is suspected of killing his older brother and four others in a neighborhood shooting spree was found with two firearms and a large hunting knife, according to a Raleigh police report released a week after the shooting.
The Raleigh Police Department’s five-day report, typically released within five business days of an officer shooting a civilian, indicated the teen had two guns when he was apprehended: a shotgun and a handgun.
The suspect, identified by his family as Austin Thompson, is accused of shooting his 16-year-old brother and six others in the Hedingham neighborhood on the evening of Oct. 13. Five, including Thompson’s brother, died. Two others were injured.
Following a standoff with law enforcement and an exchange of gunfire, Austin Thompson was found with a handgun in his waistband, according to the report. A shotgun and shotgun shells were found on the ground near him. Police also found several types of “shotgun/rifle” ammunition in the teen’s backpack, the report said.
A sheaf for a large knife was clipped to Thompson’s belt, and the hunting knife was found in the front of the building where he was found, the report states.
Someone reported to 911 that Thompson may have a hand grenade, but the report said no other weapons were found when police took the teen into custody.
When officers were able to reach Thompson after 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night, the said he “appeared to be suffering from a single gunshot wound,” according to the report. Police did not say how he was injured.
Thompson remains in the hospital in critical condition, according to the five-day report. Police have not described the nature of his injuries, but radio traffic says he was found with a severe head injury.
Thompson’s mother wrote in a Wednesday text to the Associated Press that her son’s condition was improving but he remained in the pediatric ICU unit.
What happened in Hedingham neighborhood
The shooter initially went through the neighborhood and the nearby Neuse River Trail shooting at individuals and then was cornered in a building by police around 7 p.m., according to police radio traffic.
The teen, who wore camouflage, first killed his brother in their home and ventured into the neighborhood with his backpack and firearms, the city’s report said. He shot Nicole Connors and Marcille Gardner near her homes, then Raleigh Police officer Gabriel Torres in his vehicle, Mary Marshall, who was walking her dog, and Susan Karnatz, who was out on an evening run, according to the report.
When police “contained” Austin Thompson a mile away, radio traffic indicates that officers used a drone to see Thompson in the building and that he was in a “slumped position” but still moving. They suspected he was trying to hold a long gun, which also appeared to be strapped to his shoulder, and there was another firearm in his hand, the traffic said.
After using robots to separate Thompson from his guns and backpack, police took Thompson into custody around 9:30 p.m. Oct. 13, according to radio traffic.
Where did suspect obtain weapons?
The report doesn’t say where Thompson obtained the guns, nor whether there were any weapons at his home.
Under North Carolina state law, no one under the age of 21 can buy handguns and no one under the age of 18 can buy long guns, The News & Observer reported.
The rules, however, are different when it comes to actual possession of firearms.
It’s a misdemeanor for someone under the age of 18 to possess a handgun, but state law doesn’t prevent possession of long guns.
Also according to state law, people who have firearms and live with minors are required to store firearms in a way that unsupervised minors cannot access them. It’s a misdemeanor if a minor takes the firearm without permission and exhibits it in a public place in a threatening manner, takes it onto an “educational property” or causes injury or death in the commission of a crime.
Common firearm
Shotguns are among the most common firearms used for hunting birds and other small animals, along with other recreational shooting, said Daniel Trudell, a part-time firearms instructor for the Durham Sheriff’s Office who has worked in law enforcement for about three decades.
While rifles shoot single projectiles, shotguns are loaded with shells with multiple pellets.
Common shotguns include the 12-gauge and 20-gauge, he said.
“The smaller the number, the more powerful the shotgun,” he said.
Steven C. Howard, a firearms and shooting investigation expert, said the advantages of some handguns, such as pistols, is they are easier to hide and carry. But they also are harder to aim accurately and less powerful than rifles or shotguns, said Howard, who is an attorney based in Lansing, Michigan.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated throughout the afternoon.
News & Observer reporter Tyler Dukes contributed to this story.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 2:49 PM.
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