On the 13th of October; a Thursday night; 15-year-old Austin Thompson took an AR-15 and shot 7 people, wounding 2, and killing 5, one being his brother. He also killed one of the victims’ dogs. The victim’s [Connor] dog died from gunshot wounds.

Shots were fired around 5 p.m in the Hedingham neighborhood. Thompson shot his brother inside his house, then ran outside and killed 2 women on the streets. His brother, James Thompson, was only 16 years old. The suspect then started heading towards the Neuse River Greenway Trail. There, shots were fired killing 2 more people. At 9:30 p.m he was taken into custody.

The police found several weapons in his backpack, a handgun in his waistband, a sheath for a bing knife on his belt, and many different types of weapons around him. Around 5:09 p.m, an ambulance came and found out the suspect’s brother, James Thompson, died from being shot and then stabbed to death.

At around 9:34 p.m, the police found the suspect lying on the ground from what looked like a single gunshot wound. At around 9:36 they put him in handcuffs and he was taken to the hospital. He is still in “grave” condition with life-threatening injuries. Raleigh police have not said if the suspect was shot by officers or himself. Detectives believe that he got shot by a police officer, so officer-involved-shooting protocols are being followed. Detectives are also looking for a potential motive for the suspect’s shooting. So far, they haven’t found any criminal record history, nor any social media footprint. They are still looking for handwritten materials. His parents claim there were no warning signs.

Thompsons’ family made a statement on Tuesday. “We are overcome with grief for the innocent lives lost…and we pray for everyone who was traumatized by these senseless acts of violence. We have so many unanswered questions. There were never any indications or warning signs that Austin was capable of doing anything like this.” His parents are cooperating with law enforcement and will do whatever they can to understand why or how this happened.

The Raleigh Police identified the victims that were killed in this mass shooting:

James Thompson, 16
Gabriel Torres, 29
Mary Marshall, 35
Susan Karntaz, 49
Nicole Connors, 52