Police have identified a fifteen-year-old suspect in the shooting spree that killed five people, including an off-duty police officer, in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday evening.
During a Friday press conference, Raleigh police chief Estelle Patterson identified the deceased victims as officer Gabriel Torres, 29, Nicole Conners, 52, Mary Marshall, 35, Susan Karnatz, 49, and James Thompson, 16. Patterson did not name the suspect, given that he is a minor, but said he remains in critical condition.
The slain off-duty officer was on his way to work when he confronted the shooter, Patterson said.
“We’re standing with you in this moment of unspeakable agony,” Governor Roy Cooper said during the Friday press conference. “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.”
Two other people were injured, including Raleigh K-9 unit officer Jerry Clark, who was treated at the local hospital and released, according to WRAL News. The other injured victim, Marcille Gardner, 59, remains in critical condition.
The shooting spree took place at the Neuse River Greenway around 5 p.m., Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said.
The mayor said police told her around 8 p.m. that the suspect had been “contained” at a local home after an hours-long manhunt in the Hedingham neighborhood, roughly nine miles from Raleigh’s downtown. At 9:37 p.m., Raleigh police tweeted that the suspect was in custody.
The search closed several roads for hours on Thursday evening and left nearby residents under instructions to shelter in place.
“This is a sad and tragic day for the city of Raleigh,” Baldwin said. “We must stop this mindless violence in America. We must address gun violence.”
Police are still investigating the incident.