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Raleigh mass shooting timeline: How a 15-year-old murdered 5 people and a dog in single day

The Raleigh Police Department released a 'five-day report' detailing the preliminary results of its investigation

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: The suspect in the mass shooting in Raleigh, Austin Thompson, 15, allegedly killed his older brother first before launching himself into a bloodbath that claimed the lives of four innocent people and a dog, Raleigh police said in their preliminary report. Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson filed the report Thursday, Oct 20, detailing the entire devastation using a timeline. She also stated that the teen is in critical condition after being shot in the accident last Thursday.

Although police did not name the suspect, various media outlets identified Thompson, which was later confirmed by his own parents. The teenager murdered a total of five people and a dog before barricading himself in an apartment building.

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The people killed by Thompson were - James Thompson, the suspect's own brother; off-duty police officer Gabriel Torres, 29;  Nicole Conners, 52, and her dog Sammy; Mary Marshall, 35, and Susan Karnatz, 49. James, 16, was the first victim in the entire carnage and was found dead in his home with apparent gunshot and stab wounds.

Raleigh mass shooting timeline

October 13: James Thomspon becomes his younger brother, Austin Thompson's first victim. He was killed in the 5300 block of Sahalee Way with apparent gunshot and stab wounds on his body. 

October 13, 5.09 pm: A call came into emergency communications claiming that multiple shots were fired around the golf course in Hedingham. While the officers responded to the call, other calls came in saying that people were shot in the area. 

October 13, 5.12 pm: Two people were found lying on the ground and porch in the 5300 block of Sahalee Way after a 911 caller reported hearing shots. Police discovered Conners and her dog Sammy lying on a property while another woman named Marcille Gardner was found lying in the driveway. Gardner was reportedly taken to a hospital for emergency treatment where she stays in critical condition as of now. 

Austin Thompson continued on foot moving northeast while carrying a shotgun and dressed in camouflage clothing. Within a few minutes, emergency services received another call about a shooting, this time in the 6000 block of Osprey Cove in the same neighborhood. As per the report, Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres was in his car when he encountered Thompson while leaving work. The plainclothes cop was shot by the teen 'for no reason' said a witness. Thompson's photo was also clicked by a bystander during the incident. 

October 13, 5.19 pm: Officers began arriving at the neighborhood with blue lights and sirens. Emergency responders continued to receive calls but this time it was about the suspect who was described as a young white man with a shotgun and was apparently last seen running toward the woods. Police also received the photo of the teen which the bystander took. Police were informed that the suspect ran toward the Neuse River Greenway Trail. 

October 13, 5.21 pm: Two more people lost their lives in the shooting spree. The first one was bride-to-be Mary Marshall, who was walking her dog, and the other one was mother-of-three Susan Karnatz, who was out jogging. Their bodies were found by a 911 caller at separate locations along the greenway.

Several schools, living facilities, and other nearby buildings were put on lockdown by the police authorities. People were advised to stay in their homes while keeping their doors and windows locked and drivers were told to avoid driving in the area. 

October 13, 6.42 pm: While the authorities were searching for the teen, he fired several shots. Thompson was found near McConnell Oliver Drive in two barn-like structures. 

October 13, 6.44 pm: Thompson shot Officer Casey Clark, who fell to the ground. RPD officers and other agencies returned fire. Calrk was taken to safety while the other officers fired 23 rounds toward the suspect. 

“Police returned fire,” the report states. “Preliminary results indicate that approximately 23 rounds were fired by RPD officers. Those rounds were fired in the direction of the outbuilding where the suspect fired upon officers.” Officers surrounded the building cautiously as they were unsure of the weapons that the teen carried with him at that time. A 911 caller told them the shooter had hand grenades. Police officers told the suspect to surrender himself and to come out of the building with hands up in the air. 

October 13, 9.34 pm: About three hours later, Selective Enforcement Unit officers advanced toward the outbuilding. Thompson suffered a single gunshot wound and was found lying inside on the ground.

He had a handgun in his waistband, a large knife clipped to his belt, and carrying a backpack filled with several types of shotgun ammunition, police said. Police also came across a bigh hunting knife outside the building. A shotgun and shotgun shells were lying on the ground near him. The report says fired “projectiles” were also found inside a home in the 2200 block of Castle Pines Drive.

Connors later died at the hospital from her injuries and her dog was also found dead from gunshot wounds. Torres also later died at the hospital from his injuries. “The collective motive for these attacks is still unknown. Based on information currently available, there does not appear to be any connection between the victims that were shot by the suspect prior to his encounter with the police other than they lived in the same neighborhood,” Raleigh police say.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman said that Austin Thompson is expected to be tried as an adult for the mass shooting “assuming he recovers.”