Raleigh shooting suspect identified as younger brother of slain victim, law enforcement source says
The suspected gunman in Thursday's deadly mass shooting in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been identified as the younger brother of one of the five people killed in the rampage, a law enforcement source confirmed to CBS News. The suspect, who was identified as a 15-year-old boy, is the brother of 16-year-old James Roger Thompson, CBS News' Pat Milton reports.
CBS News is not naming the suspect due to his age.
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said the suspect is in critical condition. According to the law enforcement source, the suspect suffered an apparent self-inflicted wound.
In addition to Thompson, three women and a man were killed in the shooting, police said. They were identified as Nicole Connors, 52; Susan Karnatz, 49; Mary Marshall, 34; and Raleigh Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, who was off duty at the time, Patterson said. Torres was on his way to work when he was killed.
A 59-year-old woman was wounded in the shooting and is in critical condition, Patterson said.
The shootings happened in a residential area of Raleigh. The chief said the crime scene covered an area of over 2 miles.
"This is an extremely, extremely painful event for our officers, for me, for this entire community," she said.
Authorities were working on charges for the suspect, Patterson said, adding that the investigation into the shooting was ongoing.
"My heart is heavy because we don't have answers as to why this tragedy occurred," Patterson said.
Gov. Roy Cooper said Friday questions surrounding the shootings will be answered over time.
"But I think we all know the core truth: No neighborhood, no parent, no child, no grandparent, no one should feel this fear in their communities," Cooper said. "No one."
President Biden said Friday he and first lady Jill Biden were "grieving with the families in Raleigh."
"We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors," Mr. Biden said in a statement.