The Hedingham Neighborhood Massacre

On October 13, 2022, 15-year-old Austin Thompson carried out a shooting and stabbing spree through Raleigh's Hedingham neighborhood and the nearby Neuse River Greenway. He killed five people, including his 16-year-old brother and an off-duty police officer, and wounded two others before engaging police in an armed standoff. Thompson pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder in January 2026 and was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without parole.

Austin David Thompson was 15 years old and a sophomore at Knightdale High School when he carried out the attack. He lived with his parents and his older brother, James Thompson, in the Hedingham neighborhood of northeast Raleigh. Thompson and James attended the same high school and had spent the day at school before returning home. Investigators later discovered that Austin had searched online for information about previous mass shootings, weapons and how juveniles were treated after committing murder. In the weeks before the attack, he also searched for information concerning violence and mass-casualty events. The precise motive for the attack was never definitively established.

The massacre began at the Thompson family home on October 13, 2022. Austin took a .22-caliber rifle from the home and shot his older brother James in the back of the head. James survived the initial shooting and managed to reach a bathroom. Austin then attacked him with a knife, stabbing him dozens of times. After killing James, Austin changed into camouflage clothing and armed himself with multiple firearms, ammunition and a large hunting knife. He left the house and began shooting people in the surrounding neighborhood. Nicole Connors, 52, was walking her dogs with a friend when Thompson approached them and opened fire. Connors was killed and her dog was also shot. Her companion, Marcille "Lynn" Gardner, survived but was seriously injured. Thompson continued toward the nearby Neuse River Greenway. Mary Marshall, 34, was killed after she went onto the trail looking for her dog. Susan Karnatz, 49, was also shot and killed while running on the greenway. Thompson then encountered Raleigh Police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, who was off duty and driving his patrol vehicle. Thompson approached the vehicle and fired through the windshield, killing Torres. The attack left five people dead and two wounded.

Raleigh police received the first reports of gunfire at approximately 5:09 p.m. Officers quickly responded to Hedingham and began searching for the shooter. As the scale of the attack became clear, residents were ordered to shelter inside their homes while police, SWAT teams, K-9 units and other agencies searched the neighborhood. Thompson fled from Hedingham toward an area approximately two miles away. At approximately 6:42 p.m., officers located him near two barn-like structures. Thompson opened fire on police, striking Officer Casey Clark in the knee. Police returned fire. Thompson was eventually found suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, apparently self-inflicted. He was taken into custody at approximately 9:36 p.m., bringing the hours-long manhunt and standoff to an end. Investigators recovered multiple weapons and ammunition, including a shotgun, handgun and rifle. The investigation subsequently established the sequence of attacks and identified Thompson as the perpetrator. Police also recovered notes and other evidence from the family home. During the later court proceedings, prosecutors presented evidence that Thompson had researched previous mass shootings and weapons before the attack.

Because Thompson was only 15 years old when he committed the murders, the case proceeded under North Carolina's juvenile-law provisions before eventually being transferred for prosecution in adult court. Thompson was charged with five counts of first-degree murder and numerous additional offenses relating to the surviving victims and the attack on police. On January 21, 2026, Thompson, then 18, pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and additional charges arising from the shooting spree. The plea spared the victims' families a lengthy murder trial. After a two-week sentencing hearing featuring testimony from 39 witnesses, Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway sentenced Thompson on February 13, 2026, to five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Thompson remains imprisoned.

The Hedingham attack was Raleigh's deadliest mass shooting and became one of the most significant mass-casualty crimes in North Carolina in recent years. The attack was particularly notable because Thompson first killed his own older brother before moving through the neighborhood and nearby greenway, killing four additional people and wounding two others before engaging police in a prolonged armed standoff.