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On Friday, October 14, 2022, Raleigh police revealed that at least five people were killed in Thursday's mass shooting. Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson identified the victims who were fatally shot by a teen gunman, who is presently in critical condition and undergoing treatment.
The shooter, described as a white male juvenile and later identified as 15-year-old Austin Thompson, opened fire on civilians in the eastern Raleigh neighborhood of Hedingham on Thursday evening.
The shooting left five people dead, including an off-duty police officer who was on his way to work. Identified as 29-year-old officer Gabriel Torres, he previously served as a Marine. Torres was married and had a young daughter.
Other unfortunate victims of the Raleigh shooting included Nicole Connors, 53, Mary Marshall, 34, Susan Karnatz, 49, and James Thompson, 16. Thompson, who was the youngest fatality of the shooting, was the shooter's brother and a student at Knightdale High School.
No possible motive behind the hours-long active shooter situation or future charges have been discussed by the police.
In a press conference on Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper said:
"We’re standing with you in this moment of unspeakable agony. No one should feel this fear in their communities. No one. As policymakers, we cannot, and we will not, turn away from what has happened here."
Family members of victims of the Raleigh shooting came forward with more information on their loved ones
The youngest victim of Thursday's mass shooting was the 15-year-old gunman's brother, James Thompson. He was a junior at Knightdale High School. Following the terrible shooting, in a statement addressed to parents, the principal of the high school said:
"This is an incredibly difficult time for our school community as well as the broader Raleigh community. We have learned that junior James Thompson was killed in yesterday's tragic shooting on the Neuse River Greenway."
The statement continued:
"It is an unexpected loss and we are saddened by it. Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to James' family, the other victims, their families and all who have been impacted by yesterday's events."
Mary Marshall, a bride-to-be who was just 10 days away from her 35th birthday, was fatally shot while she was out walking her dog. According to sources, Marshall and her fiance planned to get married on October 29. The victim's sister, Meghan McCrickard, told NBC News:
"She’s got a friend coming from Japan, somebody coming from Florida, from Texas. As excited as she was to be married, I know she was more excited to have all the people she loved the most at the same place at the same time...it was going to be the most beautiful, fall, spooky wedding."
49-year-old Susan Karnatz was a mother of three young boys. Her grieving husband, Tom Karnatz, dedicated a Facebook post to his deceased wife, reminiscing about the memories they made together and all the plans that they had for the future that were now "laid to waste". He said:
"We had big plans together, And we had little plans together. We had plans together for big adventures, And plans together for the mundane days in between. We had plans together with the boys, And we had plans together as empty nesters. We had plans together for growing old. Always together."
53-year-old Nicole Connors was the neighbor of the young Raleigh shooter. According to her husband Tracey Howard, she was found dead along with their dog on the front porch. He described her as a "loving person" who was known by everyone in the neighborhood.
Apart from debilitating grief over the untimely loss of his wife, Howard was in disbelief that their young neighbor was the one who had shot so many people, including his wife.
He told ABC11:
"I can't believe he would do something like that. We never had any interactions with the kid, no beef with him or anything like that. I don't know what happened."
Apart from the shooter, two others were injured in the shooting and are presently undergoing treatment.
