Raleigh, North Carolina — On October 13, 2022, members of the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) responded to a mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood located in Northeastern Raleigh. Five individuals died, and two others sustained injuries during this incident.
Over the course of several hours, a search ensued for the suspected shooter that included an exchange of gunfire between the shooter and multiple officers. At approximately 6:42 p.m., officers were able to locate the suspect, 15-year-old Austin Thompson, in an area with two outbuildings near McConnell Oliver Drive. As officers were attempting to search the area, Thompson fired multiple shots at the officers from one of the buildings.+
At approximately 6:44 p.m., Raleigh Police Officer Casey Clark, 33, fell to the ground after sustaining a gunshot wound in the right knee. Multiple officers, including two officers with the Raleigh Police Department, returned fire. Officers deployed cover fire allowing Officer Clark to be pulled to safety so that he could begin receiving treatment for his injuries. Officer Clark, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound from the suspect. Preliminary results indicate that approximately 23 rounds were fired by RPD officers. Those rounds were fired in the direction of the outbuilding where Thompson fired upon officers.
Following the exchange of gunfire, officers established a perimeter to keep Thompson contained in the outbuilding for the safety of the nearby community due to concerns about the nature of weapons he possessed to include multiple firearms, as well as possible hand grenades as reported in a 911 call. At approximately 9:34 p.m., after continued reassessment of the threat Thompson posed, SEU officers advanced towards the outbuilding. Thompson was located inside lying on the ground and appeared to be suffering from a single gunshot wound. At the time, he was wearing camouflage clothing and a backpack, and a handgun was in his waistband.
The backpack contained various items, including several types of shotgun/rifle ammunition. A sheath for a large knife was found clipped to his belt, and a large hunting knife was found at the front of the outbuilding. A shotgun and shotgun shells were lying on the ground near him. No other weapons were found. Officers secured Thompson in handcuffs at approximately 9:36 p.m. EMS personnel rendered medical attention to Thompson and transported him to the hospital. He has since been released from the hospital and moved to a juvenile detention facility. One of Austin Thompson’s five victims on Thursday night was his own 16-year-old brother, James Thompson.
